Pawar to launch Smart Cards through Video Conferencing

Panchkula , Jul 12 : Union Minister of Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Sharad Pawar, will launch Smart Card based Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) Project from Panchkula through Video Conferencing tomorrow.

Stating this here today, a spokesman for the Food and Supplies Department said Mr Mahender Partap Singh, Food and Supplies Minister, Haryana would preside over the ceremony while Ms Anita Yadav, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Food and Supplies would be the Guest of Honour.

He said under the project, paper based ration cards would be replaced with smart cards. About 54 lakh eligible families of the state would be issued smart ration cards as per their category.

Their monthly entitlements would be stored in the card and all the transactions at the fair price shops would be performed only on production of the card by the one of the authorised members of the family.

Finger print templates of the authorised members would also be stored in the card to ensure that transaction happened only in the presence of beneficiary, he added.

The spokesman said the scheme aimed at prevention of alarming diversion of essential commodities and introduction of accountability in the distribution system. In the first phase, it would be implemented in four blocks of four districts--Ambala City block of Ambala, Gharaunda block of Karnal, Sonepat block of Sonepat and Sirsa block of Sirsa.

Notably, Union Finance Minister announced in his budget speech-2008 that the project of replacing paper based ration cards with smart cards would be implementation in Haryana and Chandigarh as a pilot project.