How Does The One Nation One Ration Card Help Migrants?

Although India’s economy is growing day by day, basic need like food is a major issue for many. As per Global Hunger Index 2022, India ranks 107 in all 121 countries. The undernutrition and level of hunger are rapidly increasing. It’s a serious problem now!

To overcome this problem, the Indian government introduced the One Nation One Ration Card. It helps the government to achieve the goal of SDG (Sustainable Development Goal).

Ending hunger by 2030 is the goal of SDG (Sustainable Development Goal). The One Nation One Ration Card helps the government to achieve this goal of SDG.

One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) is the scheme of government to help those sections that are economically weaker. It provides wheat, grain, and flour at subsidised rates.

It was implemented under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). The implementation was initiated in August 2019. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman announced the ONORC during COVID-19 to help needy people.

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At the time of COVID-19, the government provided 5 kilograms of food grains per person. The beneficiaries got essential commodities at a subsidised rate. The distribution of essential commodities with its rate is mentioned below:

• 1 kilogram of rice was given at ₹3.
• 1 kilogram of wheat was given at ₹2.
• 1 kilogram of coarse grains was given at ₹1.

This scheme made speedy progress during the COVID pandemic and many states joined it. In April 2020, this scheme was providing ration only in 12 states. In December, 32 more states were linked with schemes.

The ONORC launched as Inter-State portability in four states in the year 2019. 35 States/UTs implemented this scheme in February 2022.

• By providing essential commodities to every needy citizen, this scheme of government enables the ‘Right To Food’.
• It reduces class and caste discrimination by providing a strong move in face of PDS (Public Distribution System).
• Beneficiaries can go to any FPS (Fair Price Shop) in any city. In this way, ONORC provides benefits to migrant workers.
• This program of government will offer you the chance to choose your dealer. You can switch to another FPS shop in case anything unlawful happens.
• In case of your migration for work, your family can take the benefit on the same ration card. Your family can claim a partial ration and you can get the rest of the ration in your city on the same card.

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• It will bring changes to the public distribution system.
• It will fulfil the plan of the government to provide access to all beneficiaries.
• This scheme will help the government to eliminate hunger by 2030.

• This Scheme was implemented for Ration card holders or NFSA beneficiaries. Using this, the beneficiaries or card holders can quote their Aadhaar or Ration card number at any FPSs India to get subsidised food grains.
• It is not mandatory to share your ration card with authorised dealers to get the benefits of this scheme.

Any Indian citizen who comes under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) will be eligible to get the advantage of ONORC.

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With the help of Aadhaar-based identification, beneficiaries are recorded. This kind of identification is done with the help of an electronic point-of-sale service.

The List of States and Union Territories that had already implemented ONORC scheme with the year is given below:

• Andaman and Nicobar Islands (December 2020)
• Andhra Pradesh (August 2019)
• Arunachal Pradesh (October 2020)
• Assam (June 2022)
• Bihar (May 2020)
• Chandigarh (Nov 2020)
• Chattisgarh (February 2022)
• Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (May 2020)
• Delhi (July 2021)
• Goa (January 2020)
• Gujarat (August 2019)
• Haryana (October 2019)
• Himachal Pradesh (May 2020)
• Jammu and Kashmir (August 2020)
• Jharkhand (January 2020)
• Karnataka (October 2019)
• Kerala (October 2019)
• Ladakh (September 2020)
• Lakshadweep (September 2020)
• Madhya Pradesh (January 2020)
• Maharashtra (August 2019)
• Manipur (August 2020)
• Meghalaya (December 2020)
• Mizoram (June 2020)
• Nagaland (August 2020)
• Odisha (June 2020)
• Puducherry (November 2020)
• Punjab (May 2020)
• Rajasthan (October 2019)
• Sikkim (June 2020)
• Tamil Nadu (October 2020)
• Telangana (August 2019)
• Tripura (January 2020)
• Uttarakhand (August 2020)
• Uttar Pradesh (May 2020)
• West Bengal (August 2021)

This is a purely citizen-centric scheme. ONORC was started in the year 2019. It covers around 80 Crores of beneficiaries in a very few years.