DNA

• Will have all details including census number and the fair price shop number

Mumbai, Dec 13: The humble-looking ration card, which, apart from denoting the quantum of foodgrain and kerosene one gets, underlines one’s citizenship, is all set to change, come April 2008.

The revised card will have a unique barcode number which will be nearly impossible to tamper with. “The new card and computerisation of the entire operation will allow one to know how much foodgrain and kerosene a ration card holder or his family gets,” food and civil supplies secretary KP Bakshi, said.

Under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) launched by the Centre, subsidized foodgrain and kerosene are made available to people living Below Poverty Line (BPL).

The 2.20 crore approximate ration card holders in the state are divided broadly into three categories: BPL populace is given yellow ration cards, household income below Rs 1 lac per year are issued saffron cards and households with an annual income above Rs1 lac get white cards.

“Each card will contain district-level census number, taluka census number, village census number and finally the fair price shop number. Henceforth, those covered under the TPDS initiated by the Centre will get a computerised receipt whenever a card holder lifts his monthly quota of foodgrains or kerosene,” said Bakshi.

Besides, the ration card will include the photograph of the head of the family, his fingerprint, number of family members and number of LPG cylinders/piped gas connection.

White ration card holders are not given any benefits under the PDS. Yellow cards are given free of cost to BPL families, while the cost of a saffron card is Rs100 and that of white ration cards is Rs 200.

The yellow cards for Antyodaya and Annapurna schemes for destitute elderly citizens are charged at a nominal rate ranging between Rs 3 and Rs 5.