What is One Nation, One Ration Card? Know more about it

About the One Nation, One Ration Card scheme:-

One Nation, One Ration Card is a scheme launched by the government of India under the Prime Minister, Shree Narendra Modi. This scheme of One Nation, One Ration Card was launched and implemented by the Department of Food and Supplies and Consumer Affairs, which is the implementing department and The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, which is the controlling department, in 2018. The idea of One Nation and One Ration Card is successfully implemented by the government ministries in all the 28 states and 8 Union Territories. In all these states implemented this scheme, Assam is in the number of 36^{th Rank}.  At first on 1^st August, 2019 it was launched in four states which were Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Telangana, and then it was implemented in all the states and union territories of the country. The one Nation, one ration card is a scheme which was launched under the National Food Security Act which was launched in 2013.

The government have established a mobile App too “Mera Ration” which basically is for giving the digitalized version of the benefit more and in convenient way. In this app, the all data is present in thirteen languages breaking the linguistic barriers. This scheme is basically about benefiting people who migrate from one place to another internally within India to get a kind of food security. Under this Act of Nation Food Security of 2013, a Fair Price Shop is licensed which is a public ration store which is under the Section 3 of Essential Commodities Act of 1955. It have all the benefit for the inter-state and intra-state portability of the ration cards. This scheme of One Nation, One Ration Card is launched primarily keeping mind those migrants and their family members so that they can take the benefit of the PDS from any of such Fair Price shop within the country.

Aims and Objectives:- One Nation, One Ration Card is planned and launched keeping some goals and objectives in the mind. Below written are some of this scheme’s aims and objectives:-

1. Making the Benefit of the facility of Ration Cards more portable so that people who are migrating from on state to other or from one district to other can use the benefits of it from the PDS store in the country anywhere located which will help in reducing the geographical barriers.
2. Making people more self-dependent so that they can get the benefits of ration card anywhere with no or less dependence on anyone for their food security too.
3. Raising standards of living of the people and giving them a backup of food security if they want to move to any other place, they can do for work and more opportunities of employment.
4. People who are using this scheme of One nation, One Ration card can get full or half subsidy on food grains which will help them in getting quality food at the affordable prices. All with the help of a Ration Card number or the Aadhar Card number. 

Progress and facts:-

According to the official website of government of PIB this information and facts have been taken, which shows how well this scheme was implemented on-ground and how this turned a successful social welfare program.

1. More than 77 crores of portable transactions have been recorded under this scheme of one Nation, one Ration card.
2. Over 3 crores portable transaction have been recorded under the one nation, one ration card scheme in a month.
3. The approx. number of states and Union Territories covered under this scheme in 2019 was first four, then in May 2020 it was increased to seventeen, in Dec 2020, it reached to thirty- two, and in 2022, it covered all the states and Union Territories of the Country, India.
4. This scheme was benefitted for many people and seeing it’s need government have launched an application too so that it will become more digitalized and portable and technologically advanced. Mera Ration, is the mobile app which is being launched under this scheme and it seen how it increased the number of beneficiaries of the scheme of One Nation, One Ration Card.
5. States which have seen an increased number of Intra state Transaction is Bihar, and State which have seen an increased number of Inter- state Transaction, which is Delhi.
6. Many women and the vulnerable sections of  the groups got the benefit of this scheme of One Nation One Ration Card so that they will be able to work freely anywhere with self dependence.

Way Forward:-

1. More digitalization should be promoted under this scheme so that there should be no leakages and more transparency of the whole transfers taking place between two.
2. People should be made more aware about this scheme so that if they want to go somewhere to get more opportunities for study or employment they can do that. This will help them to not think about the food security.
3. Not only we need to considered the food security and availability but also the nutritional quality of the foods which are being sold in the ration shops and stores and some steps should be taken so that only those people gets it’s benefits who are actually in need of it.
4. More women empowerment can be done by promoting this among women who go out and work for their families. It supports migrants basically many of the are labors who move from one to other place within the country to get appropriate food item in a good and fair price. 
5. All the shops of this scheme called as Fair price stores should try to link itself with the BharatNet Project to increase number of internet penetration in the whole process.
6. More use of technologies should be promoted under this scheme with the use of the Artificial Intelligence so that it will become more technological dependent and promote the wave of digitalization in India.