India: Smartcards for PDS
Paper based ration cards in parts of Northern India have been replaced by new Public Distribution System (PDS) smartcards. This will be replicated nationwide to tackle the issue of fake cards and streamline the foodgrain distribution system.
India: After the success of its pilot smart card PDS (Public Distribution System) project in Haryana and Chandigarh, the Centre is planning to expand it to other states to eliminate duplicate and bogus ration cards. 
Under the programme, the paper based ration cards have been replaced with smart cards. The shopkeepers have been provided with dealers cards.
The ration card data is first digitised and then field camps are organised to capture finger prints and photographs of card members, sources said.
Different colour schemes have been assigned to identify BPL, APL or AAY categories.
Entitlement and quantity drawn by the beneficiary during each transaction are also written on the card.
One smart card is also issued to each ration shop dealer which contains registration/licensing details of the dealer, list of beneficiaries attached to the FPS, sale policy and price, stock and transaction details to know the stock balances at any point of time.
The point of sale terminal has dual smart card readers one for FPS dealer card and other for beneficiary card and a printer to print the receipts.
This system is aimed at dealing with the problem of bogus ration cards which are causing a big problem in efficient distribution of subsidised foodgrains across the country. The government has detected crores of bogus ration cards in a nationwide drive.
Besides, diversion of food from ration shops to open market has also been widely reported from different parts of the country.
Seeing the success of the pilot project in three ration shops in Panchkula, the Haryana government is planning to implement it in four other blocks of the state before rolling it out in the entire state, the sources said.
In Chandigarh, the smart card system is in operation at 5 fair price shops, the software application for which has been developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
