Smart cards to replace rational cards in Haryana

 by Haryananewswire (Balbir)

CHANDIGARH, JUNE 18

Now ration card has become an old concept and the people will be issued smart cards in its place. The pilot project has been started in district Gurgaon.

          This was disclosed by the Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary of Food and Supplies Department Mrs Shakuntala Jakhu while reviewing the Smart Card preparation  Project here today. she said that the Central Government has chosen the state of Haryana and Chandigarh UT for preparation of smart cards in place of ration cards as a pilot project. 

The task of preparing smart cards to stream line Public Distribution System (PDS) in four Blocks namely Gharonda in district Karnal, Ambala, Sirsa and Sonipat. Now, all the four districts in which these Blocks lie would be covered and in addition district Gurgaon would also be covered.

 In district Gurgaon, Pataudi Block would be taken first. She said that the job of preparing smart cards of all the persons in the entire state would be got completed by June 2013.    

          Mrs Jakhu said that the ration card was an important document even for those who do not get ration. The beneficiaries of Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Antodaya Ann Yojna (AAY) get ration at cheaper rates under various schemes of the government but for the Above Poverty Line (APL) people it serves as a proof of residence. She said that now the smart cards will replace the traditional ration cards. For this, a comprehensive survey would be got done taking the help of the Booth Level Officers (BLO) appointed by the Election Department.

          According to Mrs Jakhu, the BLO would visit every household in the area allocated to him or her and get the application forms filled. Then he would submit these forms village wise to the Inspector of Food and Supplies Department who would scrutinize the forms whether these were filled in correctly or not. After that, these would be handed over to TCS Company, which is the authorized agency for documentation and collection of biometric finger prints of all the applicants.

          The TCS company would enter the data collected and then after proper publicity mega camps would be organised for taking biometric finger prints, scanning the eyes and photographs of every person. 

She said that every person will have to bring the slip given by BLO at the time of filling of form which will be bearing the same number as that of the form. On entering the number of the slip, entire data about the person would be displayed on the computer screen and the individual would be asked to go through it to check its correctness.  

 When he verifies the correctness, the biometric finger prints, scanning of eye bolls and photos would be taken. The applicant would be then given an Enrolment ID.  This data will be simultaneously used for preparation of UID in addition to the Smart Card for PDS System. The prints would be sent to the Central Agency for preparing of Adhaar- UID which the applicant would receive at his home. 

After that his smart card would be made by the Food and Supplies Department. She said that the persons who have already applied for Adhaar UID should give the Enrolment number to the BLO and they need not apply again as a person would have only one UID. His second application would be rejected by the computer when it reaches the office of Central Agency because the finger prints and eyes of no two individuals match.