Maha To Issue Aadhar-Linked Ration Cards

Maha To Issue Aadhar-Linked Ration Cards

FPJ BureauUpdated: Saturday, June 01, 2019, 03:38 AM IST
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These Cards And PDS Outlets Will Be Connected With A Mobile Terminal Technology-Enabled Biometric Network

Mumbai : The State government has decided to issue Aadhar-linked ration cards. A decision was made at the state cabinet meeting here on Tuesday.

“The Cabinet has approved the proposal to issue Aadhar-linked ration cards in a bid to curb fake beneficiaries and bring in transparency in the public distribution system (PDS). This would help the government to decide the exact numbers of beneficiaries of the system would help curb malpractices,” Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters.

Under this decision, Rs 173.72 crore-worth two-phased programme, Aadhar-linked ration cards will be distributed and all PDS outlets across the state will be connected with a mobile terminal technology-enabled biometric network.

“We keep receiving complaints about irregularities and malpractices in PDS outlets and even fake or duplicate ration cards are being used by ineligible people to avail undue benefits of the State government under various schemes,” Fadnavis said.

“To put an end to all these malpractices and bring in transparency in the system, we have decided to make the entire PDS computerised. Through this, we would be able to weed out the fake beneficiaries so that genuine persons get the benefit,” he added.

With the commencement of this initiative, Maharashtra will be the third state in the country, after Punjab and Gujarat, where the Centre-initiated scheme of Aadhar-linked ration cards is being implemented to strictly monitor the benefits under the National Food Security Act, 2013.

In the first phase, all the 2.32 crore ration card holders in the state will get new ration cards, bearing the Aadhar card, bank account and mobile numbers in a bar code, photograph of the senior-most woman in the household and the Aadhar details of other family members. In the second phase, all the 52,232 PDS shops in the state will be equipped with a mobile terminal technology-enabled biometric network to recognise each customer’s details before distributing the food grains.

According to the Chief Minister, the first phase will cost the government Rs 69.73 crore, while the second phase will cost Rs 103.99 crore.

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Untimely Rains: Farmers To Get Relief Within Fortnight

Mumbai : Untimely rains have affected crops on around 7.49 lakh hectare of land in the state and the State government is trying hard to be able to give relief to the farmers within a fortnight, revenue minister Eknath Khadse has said.

“Untimely rains on February 28 and March 1 have affected crops on 6.09 lakh hectares of farm land and 1.40 lakh hectares of horticultural land. This is a tentative modest estimate. Actual loss might be greater. We discussed the situation at the cabinet meeting and have decided to expedite the relief operations. We hope to provide relief to all farmers within a fortnight,” Khadse told FPJ after the cabinet meeting.

The horticultural crops that have been affected include mango, grapes and pomegranate. The districts that have been affected the most are Pune, Aurangabad, Nasik, Nagpur and Amravati along with all the coastal districts in the Konkan region. Three people died in the rains on these two days while 12 were injured. Total 105 cattles died in the rains while 194 houses were damaged during the rains, the minister said.

However, the minister made it clear that financial assistance would not be given to those who have already benefited from drought relief aid this year.

The minister also said that the government is likely to set up a task force for agriculture sector in two months.

“The decision is being taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directive to states to constitute a task force for the agriculture sector so that a push can be given to the sector reeling under crises,” he said.

“The task force will deal with agriculture, marketing and food processing. The objective is to ensure that market is available to agro produce,” Khadse said. “We have good agricultural production but many a time, the market is not available for the produce,” he said.

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