One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) Overview
One of the most significant plans of the Government of India is a revolutionary initiative called the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) to achieve the Government of India’s aim regarding food security about making sure all the citizens are provided with food, especially the migrants and people living in the urban surroundings and having the capacity to purchase their ration claims anywhere in the country.
The ONORC scheme is an ONORC-based, technology-driven reform launched by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.
Objective Of ONORC
- Transfer of ration cards between states and union territories.
- So that there can be efficient delivery of the subsidized food grains using the Public Distribution System (PDS) without dependency on the geographic location of the beneficiary.
- To strengthen the migrant workers and urban poor and the unorganized sector, making them available for food security anywhere in India.
- To bring more transparency, minimize corruption/avoid duplicate fake ration cards.
Key Features
- Ration Card Portability: The beneficiaries can pick up their food grains at any FPS (Fair Price Shop) in the country with the number of the ration card and Aadhar card number that they possess.
- Technology-Driven: It involves Aadhaar authentication and electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) machines in FPS outlets.
- National Portability: At present, ONORC is a nationwide scheme covering all the 36 states and union territories.
- Mera Ration App: The application of a mobile phone, allowing the migrant to find the closest FPS and to verify the list of their entitlements and transactions.
Benefits Of ONORC
| Benefit | Details |
|---|---|
| Food Security | Ensures continuous access to subsidized food even if a person migrates to another city or state. |
| Transparency | Prevents duplication and ghost beneficiaries through biometric authentication. |
| Empowerment | It especially helps migrant workers, many of whom previously lost access to rations after moving for work. |
| Convenience | Reduces dependency on local FPS dealers and ensures better service quality. |
| Wider Access | Allows family members to split entitlements across different locations. |
How It Works
- Ration Card Seeding: The ration card of the beneficiary is seeded with his/her Aadhaar number.
- ePoS Authentication: They authenticate using biometrics or OTP-based transactions at any outlet of FPS.
- Portability Transaction: The data is given according to the central database of the Integrated Management of PDS (IM-PDS).
Eligibility Criteria
- It has to be NFSA enrolled.
- The ration card has to be converted into an Aadhaar-linked and digitized one.
- The state should be on the ONORC network (now pan-India).
Challenges In Implementation
- Digital Divide: The mobile phones or the internet is not accessible to all the beneficiaries.
- Aadhaar Issues: Locking up or non-recognition of biometric authentication will lead to delays or rejection.
- Awareness: A good number of migrants are yet to be fully aware of their ONORC rights.
- Infrastructure Gaps: This is not the case with all the FPS shops having a functioning ePoS in place.
Success Stories And Impact
- During the COVID-19 lockdown, ONORC contributed immensely to the provision of food to the stranded migrant workers.
- According to the government statistics, more than 90 crore portability transactions have been done so far since its launch.
- It has played a great role in inclusive growth and poverty alleviation in urban and semi-urban regions.
Conclusion
The One Nation One Ration Card scheme is a monumental change in the area of food security in India. It is a step towards having an ideal and inclusive country, where every citizen, wherever he/she may be, receives as much as his/her benefits and rights. Through sustained endeavors on awareness, technology, and infrastructure, ONORC has the capacity to act as a prototype of social welfare provision across the globe.
