Guwahati, Aug 21 (PTI) Aadhaar seeding of ration cards of only 10 per cent of beneficiaries under One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) has been completed in Assam so far, state Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass said here on Saturday.
The state will start rolling out benefits under the scheme from Monday, the minister said, urging the beneficiaries to come forward for linking their Aadhaar data with the ration card for availing the benefits.
Addressing a press conference, Dass said Aadhaar seeding of ration cards of only 10.7 per cent beneficiaries and 28.3 per cent ration cards have been completed in the state so far.
Cent per cent digitisation of ration cards, covering all 2.5 crore beneficiaries in the state, has been completed, he added.
The minister urged the beneficiaries to come forward and get their ration cards linked with their Aadhaar as without the seeding, they will not be eligible to get food grains and other items under ONORC.
The ONORC is a flagship scheme of the Central government that allows eligible beneficiaries to avail food grains they are entitled to under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from any fair price shop (FPS) across the country.
The minister further said Aadhaar generation in the state is 68.9 per cent currently and 100 per cent coverage is targeted by October this year.
“We shall be giving out ration under the ONORC in the state from Monday. So, it is imperative for all beneficiaries to get Aadhaar seeding of their ration cards,” Dass added.
Principal Secretary of the department Bishwaranjan Samal, who was also present at the briefing, said all fair price shops will be provided with e-PoS machines needed under ONORC within the next three to four months.
Ten thousand fair price shops will be given the machines by next month and the rest will also be covered soon, he added.
One hundred FPS have already been provided with the devices and the beneficiaries will be able to get their food grains from these shops from Monday (August 23), Samal added.
There are altogether 33,987 FPS in the state, and 58.70 lakh families, totalling 2.51 crore beneficiaries, are covered under the scheme in Assam.