-Scroll.in A welfare scheme is not the space for technological experiments. In a state with poor nutrition, the government should act against corruption and exclusion. Ration dealers were siphoning off more than half of the grain entitlement of ration cardholders. That is what residents of several villages in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district noted at a recent public hearing on the functioning of the public distribution system in the area. The statements of participants...
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Dalberg study indicates that ONORC can be improved further
A recently released study, which has been done by Dalberg in collaboration with Kantar, and with support from the Omidyar Network India, brings to light both the supply and demand-side perspectives on the 'One Nation One Ration Card' (ONORC) scheme. Titled 'Fulfilling the promise of One Nation One Ration Card: A frontline perspective from 5 Indian states', the survey for the study was conducted in five states i.e., Andhra Pradesh,...
More »Doorstep delivery of rations sounds like a good idea -- but it actually raises many hard questions -Reetika Khera
-Scroll.in The debate over the proposal has turned into a political slugfest. Crucial questions remain unaddressed. In 2016, the Delhi government ran a pilot in 42 out of its roughly 2,500 Public Distribution System outlets. At these outlets, Aadhaar-based biometric authentication was introduced at the time of sale of grain to ration card holders. A survey was done by students of Lady Shri Ram College at one of the pilot PDS outlets, incidentally...
More »There is an urgent need for safeguards against unfair discontinuation of social benefits -Jean Drèze
-The Indian Express Temporary denial of food rations is one thing, cancellation of ration cards is far more serious. How many cards have been cancelled for lack of Aadhaar linkage? No one really knows. The Covid crisis has enhanced the dependence of poor people on social security schemes such as the public distribution system (PDS). Many of them, unfortunately, continue to have difficulties in accessing these schemes due to Aadhaar-related problems. Startling findings...
More »Serious issue if 3 crore ration cards were cancelled, says Supreme Court -Krishnadas Rajagopal
-The Hindu The Centre had earlier said that reports suggest that the deaths were not due to starvation. The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it was a “very serious” matter if the Centre has really cancelled around three crore ration cards, including those of tribals and the poor, solely because they could not be biometrically linked with Aadhaar. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde asked the Centre to...
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