To further improve the public distribution system at pan India basis, the Central Government will implement ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme in the country soon, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Raosaheb Dadarao Danve said on Wednesday.
He said with the implementation of ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme, any beneficiary would be allowed to get food security benefits from any PDS (public distribution system) Depot across the country as per the guidelines.
The Union Minister was in the city to attend a meeting with the officials from Food Supply and Consumer Affairs Department, PUNSUP and Warehouse related with wheat procurement.
Danve, interacting with the media persons, informed that for effective implementation of this new scheme, 12 clusters have already been established in the country and the scheme will be implemented in the coming days.
“This scheme will provide a sturdy apparatus to the PDS system in the country as under this new scheme, the consumers need not to apply new ration card in view of migration to other areas of the country,” he said.
As the same card will be applicable all over the country, the consumer beneficiaries would be able to buy subsidized food items from any ration depot in the country as per stipulated norms, added Danve.
He further revealed that out of total 332 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) procured wheat at national level, Punjab contributes about 129 LMT. Similarly, Punjab contributes about 113 LMT in the aggregated procurement of rice that touches 416 LMT mark in the country.
Danve further said that as the wheat procurement would start in the coming weeks, the main purpose of his visit was to discuss the arrangements to run the wheat purchase smoothly.
“To store wheat on scientific techniques, silos are being set up with capacity of 100 LMT and the Union Government has also fixed a target to set up the silos with 700 LMT storage capacity in the country,” he said.
He added that to store 33.5 LMT wheat, 92 sites have been selected in Punjab and preparation work was already in progress.
“Till January 31, there was 96 LMT wheat in store and the same is being shifted to Maharashtra so that the sufficient space would be available for the wheat to be procured in the coming season,” added Danve after the state Food Supply Corporation general manager Arshdeep Singh Thind urged him to vacate the storage sites as soon as possible keeping in view the coming wheat procurement season in Punjab.