Non-Aadhaar beneficiaries will not be denied foodgrains, assures Centre

Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ministry on Monday issued a clarification to all State saying that beneficiary or household will be denied entitled quantity of food grains, r will ir ration cards be canceled for t having an Ahaar number.

In a release, Ministry said that deline given to states and union territories to issue Ahaar numbers with all ration cardholders or beneficiaries has been extended up to September 30, 2020.

"Until n, Department has issued clear instructions to all states/UTs vide letters dated October 24, 2017, and vember 8, 2018, that genuine beneficiary/household shall be denied from entitled quota of food grains or ir names/ration cards shall t be deleted/canceled only on ground of t possessing an Ahaar number," release said.

Ministry has also instructed that food grains under National Food Security Act (NFSA) will t be denied due to failure of biometric or Ahaar auntication of beneficiary.

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Nearly 90 per cent ration cards linked to Ahaar numbers

release said, as a result of continuous efforts of central and state governments, nearly 90 per cent of 23.5 crore ration cards have been linked with Ahaar numbers. Almost 85 per cent of all 80 crore beneficiaries have also linked ir Ahaar number with ir respective ration cards.  All concerned states and UTs have taken steps to complete Ahaar seeding of remaining ration cards and beneficiaries under NFSA.

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department has started implementing national or inter-state portability of NFSA ration card holders under "One Nation One Ration Card" plan. As part of a central sector scheme on 'Integrated Manment of Public Distribution System', move aims to protect interest of poor and beneficiaries who migrate from one place to or, release said.

"To achieve seamless inter-state portability transactions of a ration card, it is essential to have a centralized repository for maintaining unique ration cards/beneficiaries data of all states and UTs covered under NFSA.

refore, seeding of Ahaar numbers becomes critical in establishing a unique record of each eligible ration cardholder or beneficiary under NFSA in country so that ir entitlement is protected," it ded.

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(With inputs from ANI)

(Im credits: PTI File photo)