Maharashtra Cabinet today approved the proposal to issue Aadhar-linked ration cards in a bid to curb fake beneficiaries and bring in transparency in the public distribution system (PDS).
Under this Rs 173.72 crore-worth two-phased programme, Aadhar-linked ration cards will be distributed and all PDS outlets across the state will be connected with a mobile terminal technology-enabled biometric network.
"We keep receiving complaints about irregularities and malpractices in PDS outlets and even fake or duplicate ration cards are being used by ineligible people to avail undue benefits of the state government under various schemes," Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters in Mumbai.
With the commencement of this initiative, Maharashtra will be the third state in the country, after Punjab and Gujarat, where the Centre-initiated scheme of Aadhar-linked ration cards is being implemented to strictly monitor the benefits under the National Food Security Act, 2013.
In the second phase, all the 52,232 PDS shops in the state will be equipped with a mobile terminal technology-enabled biometric network to recognise each customer's details before distributing the food grains.
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