Vijayawada: Asserting that the new smart rice cards will bring in more transparency to the Public Distribution System (PDS), civil supplies minister Nadendla Manohar explained that the govt is committed to prevent irregularities in the supply of essential commodities through fair price shops in the state. He said that the new smart cards will help people draw ration anywhere in the state when the cardholders migrated to other places for work or employment.The minister along with Penamalur legislator Bode Prasad launched the new smart rice cards in Poranki on Monday. Subsequently, the minister inspected the fair price shop managed by dealer CH Durgarani and reviewed the stock details. Speaking to the media, he said that a festive atmosphere prevailed across the state following the launch of smart rice cards. He noted that they brought numerous reforms in the civil supplies department after the NDA alliance came to power. He said that the govt is distributing smart rice cards to 1.46 crore households to benefit about 4.4 crore people. “The smart rice cards offer many benefits, particularly enabling transparent access to essential commodities. By scanning the QR code on the card, details of the commodities received are instantly available on the user’s phone, including information about when and which items were collected,” he said. He said that they have also brought changes to help beneficiaries to obtain essential commodities from fair price shops between the 1st and 15th of every month at their convenience. He said that changes or updates to household addresses and family details on the card can be made easily by applying at village or ward secretariats, where the data is uploaded on the same day. He said that through an integrated data approach, all information is stored at the district level with the district collector and joint collector, and at the state level with the civil supplies commissioner, ensuring no discrepancies in data. He suggested people to contact toll-free number 196 printed on the card to report them if anyone faces issues. He said that about 5,17,825 smart rice cards with QR codes are being distributed in Krishna district. The minister emphasized that the card also serves as an identity card and urged everyone to make good use of it.
