Facility to take ration from any fair price shop in 25 districts of the state

12,314 fair price shops have an e-POS facility, 13,304 shops are operational

Raipur, Under the leadership of Chief Minister Mr.Bhupesh Baghel, the state government is working to provide food security to all citizens of the state. Taking the initiative, the Chief Minister had launched Universal PDS in the year 2019, on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Under the scheme, ration cards have been issued to all the poor and the rich. So far, more than 2.5 crore members have been registered in the state through 69.67 lakh ration cards. In 25 districts of the state, the facility of purchasing rations from any fair price shop of their choice has been made available to the ration cardholders. A total of 13 thousand 304 government fair price shops are operating in the state, out of which e-POS machines facility is being made available in 12 thousand 314 shops.

Food Department officers said that according to the intent of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, ration cards are being issued to cover 100 per cent of families including the deprived, poor and common families in the state. At present 69.67 lakh ration cards are in operation. Of these, 20 lakh 73 thousand 954 ration cards have been issued to scheduled tribes, 9 lakh 62 thousand 168 ration cards have been issued to scheduled castes, 32 lakh 73 thousand 937 ration cards are issued to other backward classes and 6 lakh 41 thousand 692 ration cards have been issued to general category. Under the Public Distribution System, 54 lakh 62 thousand 125 ration cards have been issued in rural areas and 14 lakh 89 thousand 626 ration cards in urban areas.

Officers said that 11 lakh 15 thousand new ration cards have been issued in the last three years, while the names of 5 lakh 52 thousand new members have been added to the ration cards. In the Kondagaon district from November 1, 2020, a pilot project is running under which fortified rice containing iron, folic acid and vitamin B-12 is being distributed through fair price shops to fight anemia and other nutritional deficiencies. Keeping in view the success, it has now been decided to distribute fortified rice in 12 aspirational and high load districts.