Shillong, Jan 8: Meghalaya is expecting to complete the reforms in Public Distribution System (PDS) and implement the ‘One Nation One Ration Card System’ by March this year.

Under this project, a beneficiary will be able to buy subsidised food grains from any Fair Price Shops (FPS) across the country.

The One Nation One Ration Card Scheme has not been able to be implemented fully in Meghalaya due to the delay in Aadhar enrolment. Installation of ePoS devices has started in the State in a phased manner as this is expected to roll out national portability by March 2021.

Informing about this Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said, “The deadline ended in December 2020….but we have already inform the Ministry we are trying our best but we could not but it is not because of our failure but it is because of the shortage of the machines entrusted by the centre to the agencies.”

“We wanted to complete by March by the end of this financial year to enrolment drive,” Tynsong said.

Stating that around 30 percent of the ration card is linked to Aadhar, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said, “The enrolment drive is on because this linked to Aadhar, so enrolment drive is going on so I think till today we must have crossed 30 percent.”

“One Nation One Ration Card is linked with Aadhar and the enrolment of Aadhar is the ongoing project and not only that it is being conducted and done by the Government of India, not by the state Government,” He added.

Electronic Point of sale (ePOS) machine is being rolled out, henceforth, distribution of food grains to the beneficiaries under NFSA/Non-NFSA will be conducted through the ePOS machine in future for free, fair and digital distribution of food grains under NFSA and to ensure that genuine beneficiaries are being benefited with this system.

Calling it a best Project, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “One nation one ration card is simple during pandemic, the migrant workers when the ration card is in Bihar whereas they work in Meghalaya or may be in other parts of India they don’t get they are not entitled, I think this is very good scheme, very good project even the migrant workers from here who works in other parts of India once they register here mean they are entitled to get ration there.”

The implementation of One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) plan is one of the top priorities of Department of Food & Public Distribution, Government of India to provide an option to all eligible ration card holders/beneficiaries covered under NFSA to access their entitlements from anywhere in the country. Under this plan, the distribution of highly subsidized food grains is enabled through nation-wide portability of ration cards through the implementation of IT-driven system by installation of ePoS devices at FPSs, seeding of Aadhaar number of beneficiaries with their ration cards and operationalization of biometrically authenticated ePoS transactions in the State/UTs.