Team Blitz India
WITH the implementation of the One Nation, One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme, there has been an exponential increase in the number of people purchasing their rations from inter-state ration shops.
At present, approximately 4.51 lakh families, totalling almost 20.46 lakh individuals, rely on ration shops from other states. Just four years ago, when this initiative was introduced, only 15,000 individuals (3,500 ration cards) were availing of the scheme.
Even in Kerala, where initial reluctance existed towards adopting the scheme, 90 Malayali families have begun to purchase rations from inter-state ration shops. These families are dependent on states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Goa, and some also rely on Delhi.
Introduced in August 2019 initially in four states, the ONORC service now operates in all 28 states and 8 Union Territories, enabling both inter-and-intra-state portability. This provision, allowing ration purchase from anywhere in the country, has encouraged more people to utilise the service scheme. Interestingly, migrants from Delhi constitute the largest group purchasing rations from other states.
ONORC, established under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), operates by linking each state’s ration distribution through a computer network. The service enables individuals who work or migrate to different states to get quota without the need to change their ration cards.
