Couple of months after announcing the doorstep delivery of ration, Punjab Cabinet on Monday
approved home delivery of five-kg wheat flour (atta) to 1.54 crore beneficiaries from October 1
— putting an additional burden of Rs 670 crore on the state exchequer for grinding wheat and
delivering it to beneficiaries at their doorstep.
The scheme will be implemented across the State in three phases by dividing the state into eight
zones.
Conceding the proposal of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department to introduce
home delivery of atta under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), the entire state has been
divided into eight zones and the service shall commence in one zone in the first phase, in two
zones in the second phase, and in the remaining five zones, in the last and third phase, said the
spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office.
Spokesperson said that the Government will offer, to every beneficiary enrolled under NFSA, the
option of home delivery of atta. “Any beneficiary, who wishes to physically collect his
entitlement of wheat from a fair price shop (FPS), shall have an option of OPT-OUT through a
suitable IT intervention freely available to him,” said the spokesperson adding that the delivery
cycle of distribution shall now be changed from quarterly to monthly.
The home delivery service shall introduce the concept of Mobile Fair Price Shops (MPS) — a
transport vehicle preferably fitted with GPS facility and cameras to live stream the handing over
of atta to the beneficiary.