Even with the deadline of May 15 fast approaching, there seems to be no hurry among residents in the district to link their Aadhaar numbers with ration card details.
Linking Aadhaar numbers with ration cards was one of the measures introduced to weed out bogus ration cards. The Supreme Court has also allowed the use of Aadhaar identities for the Public Distribution System (PDS) system and the State government had directed the ration card beneficiaries to link the details before May 15.
Nevertheless, less than 25 per cent of beneficiaries have linked their Aadhaar numbers with the PDS system in Mandya district.
According to Kumuda Sharath, Deputy Director, Department of Food and Civil Supplies, the number of ration cards distributed in all seven taluks in the district is 5.03 lakh, while the number of PDS beneficiaries is around 20.40 lakh.
Of the total beneficiaries, around 16 lakh have not linked their Aadhaar numbers, Ms. Sharath said.
Speaking to The Hindu here on Wednesday, she said that her department has launched special drives to create awareness among the public on linking the details. “Aadhaar is transparent and accountable. The linkage is an effective way of weeding out bogus cards. Hence, the beneficiaries should cooperate with the department to accomplish the task,” she said.
Those not submitting details would face difficulties in receiving the benefits in future, Ms. Sharath added.
She conducted public meetings at Nagamangala and Pandavapura on Wednesday and distributed publicity material.
Every ration card holder, including children, has to submit the Aadhaar card details to the agencies concerned on or before May 15, Deputy Commissioner M.N. Ajay Nagabhushan said.
Benefits
The department is supplying around 1 lakh tonnes of paddy, ragi and maize to PDS beneficiaries through 726 fair price shops in the district. The supply of kerosene is 1,600 KL a month.
Helpline
The beneficiaries can collect further details by calling toll-free numbers 1947 and 1967. They can visit local gram panchayats, Atalji Janasnehi Kendra, Nada Kacheri, taluk offices or the food and civil supplies department to get their Aadhaar numbers linked.
Those not submitting details would face difficulties in receiving benefits in the future
