The One Nation One Ration Card scheme has been implemented in all 36 States/UTs in India, enabling eligible beneficiaries covered by the National Food Security Act to purchase subsidized food grains from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) across India. The program, which provides rice, wheat, and coarse grains at rates of Rs. 3 per kg, Rs. 2 per kg, and Rs. 1 per kg, respectively, has been made portable throughout the country, and a mobile application called ‘MERA RATION’ has been launched to provide real-time information to beneficiaries in multiple languages. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the ONORC program has been instrumental in ensuring that NFSA beneficiaries, especially migrant workers, have access to subsidized food grains.
Objectives of the One Nation One Ration Card Scheme
- To provide food security to all NFSA beneficiaries across the country, regardless of their location.
- The program aims to achieve this by making existing ration cards portable, enabling beneficiaries to access their entitled subsidized foodgrains from any Fair Price Shop of their choice.
- The system also allows family members to claim the balance/required amount of food grains on the same ration card from any FPS in their native place or any other location.
Characteristics of the One Nation One Ration Card Scheme
The ONORC has several characteristics, including:
- Current ration cards will become a universal ration card under the one nation one ration card scheme.
- All beneficiaries registered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) will receive the universal ration card.
- With the ONORC, beneficiaries who migrate from one place to another can purchase subsidized food grains from fair price shops in their destination city, regardless of their place of origin.
- Biometric authentication on electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) devices will be used to identify beneficiaries at fair price shops.
- The national portability of the ONORC will be facilitated through the Integrated Management of Public Distribution System (IM-PDS) portal and the Annavitran portal, which will host data on food grain distribution through ePoS devices within a state.
- Ration cards will be seeded with Aadhaar cards to enable beneficiaries to access ration using the same ration card.
Significance of One Nation One Ration Card Scheme
- The One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme is significant for a number of reasons. First, it enables the right to food for all NFSA beneficiaries, regardless of where they are in the country. Previously, beneficiaries could only access their entitlement of subsidized food grains from designated Fair Price Shops (FPS) within the state where they were registered. If they moved to another state, they would need to apply for a new ration card, which was a cumbersome and often time-consuming process. The ONORC scheme removes this hindrance and ensures that beneficiaries can access their entitlements seamlessly.
- The scheme is also important for migrant laborers, who make up nearly 37% of the population. The ONORC scheme ensures that they can access their entitlements regardless of where they are in the country. This is particularly important given the precarious nature of their work and the fact that they are often forced to move from place to place in search of work.
- The ONORC scheme can also help reduce leakages in the system. The scheme requires deduplication, which means that the same person cannot be a beneficiary in two different locations in the country. This helps prevent fraud and ensures that resources are targeted at those who need them the most. Additionally, the scheme is linked with Aadhaar and biometrics, which further reduces the possibility of corruption.
- Finally, the ONORC scheme can help reduce social discrimination in accessing PDS. Women and other disadvantaged groups often face barriers in accessing their entitlements due to their social identity (caste, class, and gender) and power relations. The ONORC scheme removes some of these barriers and ensures that all beneficiaries can access their entitlements regardless of their social status. This can have a transformative impact on the lives of millions of people across the country.
Implementation of One Nation One Ration Card
The One Nation One Ration Card system uses an IT-driven system to enable nationwide portability of ration cards, allowing beneficiaries to access highly subsidized food grains from any FPS in the country. This is achieved through the installation of ePoS devices in FPSs and the seeding of Aadhaar numbers with ration cards. Beneficiaries can quote their ration card or Aadhaar numbers at any FPS to obtain subsidized food grains without the need to carry or share their cards with the dealer. Aadhaar authentication can be done using fingerprints or iris-based identification at any ePoS-enabled FPS of their choice to receive the entitled food grains.
Progress of One Nation One Ration Card
The One Nation One Ration Card scheme was initially scheduled to be rolled out nationally on 1 June 2020. However, it was enabled in an integrated cluster of 24 States/UTs covering around 65 crore beneficiaries on 1 August 2020. This covered 80% of the total NFSA population in those States/UTs. The Department of Food and Public Distribution worked to enable the facility in the remaining 12 States/UTs before March 2021.
During the Union Budget 2021 announcement, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that the One Nation One Ration Card had been implemented by 32 States and UTs, reaching approximately 69 crore beneficiaries. The scheme covered 86% of the beneficiaries, and the remaining four States/UTs would be integrated into the scheme in the coming months.
The One Nation One Ration Card scheme intends to ensure a smooth distribution of subsidized food grains to beneficiaries throughout the country, minimizing the reliance of ration cardholders on their designated Fair Price Shops (FPSs). As of 11 March 2021, 17 States and UTs had effectively implemented the inter-state portability of ration cards under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), facilitating beneficiaries’ access to subsidized food grains from any FPS across India.
Benefits of One Nation One Ration Card
- The previous ration card system did not allow beneficiaries to purchase subsidized food grains from FPSs outside their designated area. However, with the introduction of the One Nation One Ration Card scheme, eligible beneficiaries can now access their food entitlements from any FPS across India, regardless of their location. This has enabled greater mobility and convenience for ration cardholders, particularly for migrant workers and their families.
- If a beneficiary moved for work, they were unable to receive subsidized food grains from FPS in their new location.
- The new system removes the requirement to obtain food grains from only the assigned FPS.
- NFSA beneficiaries and ration cardholders can now purchase subsidized food grains from any FPS in the country.
- The system also allows family members back home to claim the balance of food grains on the same ration card.
- Migrant workers can claim their ration from their current location, while family members in their native place can claim the rest of the ration.
- The One Nation One Ration Card allows seamless access to food grains for all NFSA beneficiaries and ration cardholders, including migrant workers, through an existing ration card with biometric or Aadhaar authentication.
Challenges of One Nation One Ration Card Scheme
- The Aadhaar-linked ration cards and smart cards were implemented to reduce leakage in the PDS process. However, there has been an increase in exclusion errors after the implementation of Aadhaar seeding, as many sections of society still do not have Aadhaar cards, leaving them without access to food security.
- In the past, most anti-poverty, rural employment, welfare, and food security schemes were based on domicile-based access, which restricted people from accessing government social security, welfare, and food entitlements at their place of origin.
- The monthly quota of products that an FPS receives is based on the number of people assigned to it. However, the implementation of the ONORC may disrupt this practice as some FPSs may have to serve more cardholders while others serve fewer due to the migration of people.
Way Forward
If ration shops continue to face challenges in delivering food grains to vulnerable groups during emergencies, alternative delivery channels should be explored. To ensure comprehensive nutritional security, ONORC should facilitate the portability of Integrated Child Development Services, Mid-Day Meals, immunization, healthcare, and other facilities. In the long term, the PDS system may be replaced by a reliable food coupon system or direct benefit transfer. Under this system, families below the poverty line could purchase rice, pulses, sugar, and oil from any Kirana store at market prices, either by paying in full with the coupon or in cash.