Aadhaar Linking with Ration Cards

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

RAJYA SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-85

ANSWERED ON-15.12.2017

Linking of Aadhaar with ration cards

Shri Ram Kumar Kashyap

(a) whether an eleven year old girl died on 28th September, 2017 at her village in Jharkhand after stoppage of subsidised foodgrains for months owing to cancellation of ration card for want of Aadhaar linkage;

(b) if so, the action Government proposes to take in the matter;

(c) the total number of ration cards not linked to their Aadhaar unique ID number, State/Union Territory-wise; and

(d) the policy of Government to provide subsidized foodgrains to BPL families?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

(SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)

(a) & (b): The Government of Jharkhand informed that the girl Miss Santosh Kumari of Karimati village of Simdega District died owing to disease and not due to hunger. The Government of Jharkhand has further informed that the family of deceased had Priority Household Ration card which was deleted on 22.7.17. Aadhaar card of mother of deceased was submitted to Fair Price Shop [FPS] in month of August, 2017.

Government of Jharkhand has also informed that District Grievance Redressal Officer[DGRO] Simdega passed an order to pay the food security allowance to the family for the month of August 2017 as per provisions of National Food Security Act, 2013 and that FPS dealer concerned and Incharge Area Supply Officer [Prabhari Prakhand Aapoorti Padadhikari] were placed under suspension and a new Antyodaya Anna Yojna Ration card was issued to household.

Letter dated 24/10/17 have been issued to all State/UT Governments to strictly comply with the provisions of the Notification issued by this Department vide SO No.317[E] dated 8/2/17[as amended from time to time]. The said Notification has clear provisions for distribution of the benefits of subsidized foodgrains/cash transfer of food subsidy under NFSA to those eligible beneficiaries who do not possess Aadhaar number. The notification as well as letter dated 24/10/17 have been uploaded on the official web site of this Department i.e. www.dfpd.nic.in.

(c ) A State-wise statement showing the total number of Rations cards linked/seeded with Aadhaar is at Annexure .

(d) After implementation of NFSA, criteria of identification of beneficiaries/households has been de-linked from BPL/APL categories and beneficiaries are identified under two categories namely;

(i). AAY Households, and
(ii). Priority Households

The eligible households under the above categories are required to be identified by State/UT Governments and are entitled to receive foodgrains (rice, wheat or coarsegrains or any combination thereof) under TPDS @ Rs 3/-, 2/- & Re 1/- per kg respectively with entitlements of priority households being @ 5kgs per person per month and AAY families getting @ 35 kg per family per month as per the AAY scheme.

Source : Rajya Sabha