A big and important decision has been taken regarding the rationing system in the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government has launched the 'Sarthak-PDS' scheme to make the country's Public Distribution System (PDS) facility more simple, transparent and modern. The central government will spend an estimated Rs 25,530 crore on this scheme, which will directly impact the country's 80 crore ration card holders and dealers running ration shops.
3 major changes made to the rationing system
Giving information at a press conference after the Union Cabinet meeting, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that while ration is being provided to 80 crore people in the country, 3 major changes have been made in the interest of shopkeepers from registration to providing ration. Under this scheme, technology and artificial intelligence will now be used on a large scale.
1. Transportation costs will now be borne by the Central Government : Till now, the state governments had to bear the transportation costs of lifting the food grains from the large godowns of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and transporting them to different districts, villages and finally to the ration shops, due to which there was a financial burden on the states. However, now under the new scheme, the Central Government will bear the entire cost itself. This will reduce the transportation costs and ration will reach the beneficiaries on time.
2. Increase in commission of dealers: Under the second major change, the commission of shopkeepers i.e. dealers providing ration will be increased. Ration dealers across the country had been continuously demanding an increase in commission for a long time, which the central government has now accepted. This decision will improve the financial condition of shopkeepers and increase their earnings.
3. Registration with AI technology: As per the third change, new technology will be used to make the entire ration system more sophisticated and completely transparent. In this, the beneficiaries receiving ration will be registered with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI), so that the entire system will become digital and irregularities will be completely stopped.
