Digital Ration Card is a paperless alternative for traditional form of Ration card which normally people use in booklet form. The Food Distribution shops, Fair Price Shops or Ration shops, store the allotment and food and fuel distribution records in physical ledgers which has many loopholes and irregularities in the distribution process. This also creates possibility for leakage and theft by middlemen and bogus fake ration card holders. Just to avoid all this losses and to impose more transparency and easier and fast distribution, the government has started digitization of the whole process.
Aadhar Ration card linking plays the major role here, as it helps in identifying the correct beneficiary through biometric records. This digital distribution makes sure that the deserving beneficiaries are not kept deprived of the facilities and subsidised supplies.
“One Nation, One Ration Card”
“One Nation, One Ration Card” is Aadhaar-based national ration card portability scheme to ensure food security for all, including internal migrants within India, under which beneficiaries can purchase subsidised food anywhere in India. For example, a migrant worker can obtain his share of food in his migrant destination location while his family can obtain their share in their source/native home location.
This has been made possible only after transferring the whole process online. New Applications, Allotment status, FPS and Supply records are all visible from single panel. The beneficiary can login to the Public Distribution System Portal of their state and can check the status, allotment, entitlement of supplies, Edit Records of Family Members, Add/Remove name from Ration card, etc. These all can be done seamlessly now through a digital process, which requires Aadhaar and Mobile authentication to avoid any fake registrations.
Significance and Importance of Digital Ration Card
- Digital format speeds up the entire chain of process – Application, Verification, transaction, allotment, updates, etc.
- It reduces unnecessary delays and avoid accumulation and jargon/buzz at ration shops by the beneficiaries.
- It eliminates extensive paperwork and relieves much burden from the administrators.
- It also allows beneficiaries to carry digital version of ration Card in their mobile devices without carrying the physical booklet version of ration card.
- It helps in updating and retrieving accurate information from the online system, anytime anywhere through computer or even mobile devices.
- The chances of manual errors and discrepancies are totally removed, as the process is completely transparent and trustworthy.
- The authorities at different levels can check the supply chain, inventory, deliveries, allotments, transactions, etc. in real time. This makes the process more reliable and accountable.
- The users and ration card holders access and manage their family ration card with more ease and convenience.
- It is possible to integrate other systems, governments services, programs, and databases to empower the authorities with better distribution of services and facilities.
- The digital format distribution is more secure as it is encrypted and require authentication, and thus avoids any fraudulent activities/theft and leakages of inventory.
- To maintain the process efficient, adaptable, and scalable; the advance data processing technologies can be incorporated at any stage.
Thus, moving to the digital Ration card version, we can witness better, fast, transparent and accurate distribution of essential services.
Process of Online Application for a Digital Ration Card
Online application services for a new Digital Ration card has been started in few states already. Other states are also soon will adopt the digital process, as many states faces challenges and barriers in implementing the technology based system.
The states where the Digital ration card portal has been successfully implemented, there you can easily Apply/Update details through your account in the PDS portal. The complete process has been explained here in this article for Application process for New Digital Ration Card.
Digital Ration Card Download
The states where the Digital Ration Card download facility is still not available, they can use DigiLocker to download Digital Ration card, from the link:
https://www.digilocker.gov.in/dashboard/documents
Here you will see all states are listed here, you can click on your state, and proceed with Login/Signup process, this requires your Aadhaar Registered Mobile number.
After Sign Up/Login, you can select Ration card from the documents list. In the next page, it will ask to enter Name (Aadhaar based), Date of Birth, and 12 digit Ration card number.
After filling all the details and selecting the district from the dropdown, you have to click on Get Document button. This will show your Digital Ration card on the screen, which you can download in PDF format.
Digital Ration card Aadhar link
Your digital Ration card can be linked with Aadhar in 3 simple ways. The complete process is explained in simple steps in the following article: Ration Card Aadhar Link: Easy Process
Documents like Aadhar copies of Family members, Recent Photograph of Head of Family, Registered Mobile number, etc. are required at the time of Aadhar Ration card linking. once you complete the linking process you can check the Aadhar Ration Card linking Status. The step by step process for this also is given in the above article.
Also, you can login to your PDS portal account for Digital Ration card. From there also you will find Ration card Aadhaar Seeding option.
e-Ration card
This e-Ration card is the same as Digital Ration card, where beneficiaries can download e-Ration card in digital pdf format. This allows beneficiaries to visit the ration Shop or FPS without Physical copy of Ration card and on Biometric verification they can receive easily their share of food and supplies.
This e-Ration card is available only when you have applied and linked your Aadhaar to your ration card on the States Food supply Portal. The moment it gets approved you can start using your e-Ration card. As explained above, you can also download your e-ration card pdf copy from the digilocker website.
This ration card digital facility has reduced government’s losses to a great extent, and also the beneficiaries are kept secured with their share of food and supplies, through a transparent digital system.
