Digitization helps government weed out 1.6 crore fake ration cards, plug foodgrain leak

NEW DELHI: Digitization has helped the government take 1.62 crore fake ration cards out of the system, thereby plugging the leak of foodgrain worth Rs 10,190 crore over the past three years.

Moreover, direct benefit transfer ( DBT) helped save Rs 13 crore in three Union territories (UTs) — Chandigarh, Puducherry, Dadra and Nagar Haveli — since it was launched last year, according to food ministry sources.

"The diversion of subsidized foodgrain will reduce further as we eliminate human interventions completely, and the National Food Security scheme becomes fully technology-driven," said a ministry official. At present, there are about 23 crore ration cards in India.

In fact, records show how the Modi government has pushed several reforms in this sector in the past 23 months, with even state governments pursuing the computerisation programme. For example, all the 36 states and UTs had achieved 100% digitisation of ration cards by May 3.

Similarly, Aadhaar seeding in ration cards has reached 54% in comparison to only 8% when the government took over. Even the number of states that have computerised the supply chain — from depots to fair price shops - has increased to 13 against only three in June 2014.

Moreover, to curb the pilferage of subsidised foodgrains, 1.14 lakh electronic points of sale (ePOS) devices have been installed at fair price shops, which is almost 26 times more than what was achieved till June 2014.