After successfully implementing the Direct Benefits Transfer for lPG (DBTl) Consumers Scheme, across the country, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution will now distribute ration under National Food Security Act (NFSA) on the same DBTl pattern. The Union Ministry has selected Chandigarh and Pondicherry to launch this scheme.
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution also called second meeting with senior officials of Food and Supply Chandigarh through tele-conferencing on Monday to chalk out strategy for early launching of DBTl in Public Distribution System (PDS).
“Union Ministry showed keen interest in launching this scheme here in Chandigarh and we also expressed our interest in it. Now we are taking it as pilot project in Chandigarh,” said Danish Ashraf, SDM East division-cum-joint director food and supply Chandigarh.
Jairam Singh, DFSO added, “After implementing this scheme, beneficiaries would be able to get subsidy on ration direct in their accounts”. This scheme is also being linked up with the “Adhaar Card” like lPG scheme, said Singh.
He added at present there are 57,000 beneficiaries under National Food Security Act (NFSA) in Chandigarh and all would be included in the DBT scheme soon. While elaborating the present status of the scheme, Singh said “The work related to digitization of accounts is in progress”.
Vinay Verma, computer programmer in the Food and Supply department, Chandigarh, who is looking after the work of ‘digitization’ of accounts of beneficiaries for proposed DBT, said that we are feeding the data of beneficiaries including their bank accounts, name of the banks, IFSC codes, lPG details and Adhaar Card numbers in the computer and have completed 6,000 accounts of beneficiaries till to date. “We would be able to complete all the accounts in the end of this month”, said Vinay.
Chandigarh Administration has already completed the Direct Benefits Transfer for lPG (DBTl) Consumers Scheme in the city and now almost all the beneficiaries who have already linked up with the DBTl scheme getting their subsidy through their accounts in the banks.