Characteristics of the One Nation One Ration Card Scheme
The ONORC has several characteristics, including:
- Current ration cards will become a universal ration card under the one nation one ration card scheme.
- All beneficiaries registered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) will receive the universal ration card.
- With the ONORC, beneficiaries who migrate from one place to another can purchase subsidized food grains from fair price shops in their destination city, regardless of their place of origin.
- Biometric authentication on electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) devices will be used to identify beneficiaries at fair price shops.
- The national portability of the ONORC will be facilitated through the Integrated Management of Public Distribution System (IM-PDS) portal and the Annavitran portal, which will host data on food grain distribution through ePoS devices within a state.
- Ration cards will be seeded with Aadhaar cards to enable beneficiaries to access ration using the same ration card.
One Nation One Ration Card Scheme
The One Nation One Ration Card scheme has been implemented in all 36 States/UTs in India, enabling eligible beneficiaries covered by the National Food Security Act to purchase subsidized food grains from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) across India. The program, which provides rice, wheat, and coarse grains at rates of Rs. 3 per kg, Rs. 2 per kg, and Rs. 1 per kg, respectively, has been made portable throughout the country, and a mobile application called ‘MERA RATION’ has been launched to provide real-time information to beneficiaries in multiple languages. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the ONORC program has been instrumental in ensuring that NFSA beneficiaries, especially migrant workers, have access to subsidized food grains.