Ration card digitisation in HP to be completed by December

The digitisation of ration cards in Himachal Pradesh would be completed by December end and the consumers would get their ration through digital cards from January, 2017, state Food and Supplies Minister GS Bali said today.
Speaking at a programme here, Bali said over 1.54 lakh bogus ration cards would be cancelled after digitisation, saving the state government crores of rupees.
"Thenumber of digital ration cards would be 16,64,123 against the present 18,18,399 and subsidy worth crores of rupees would be saved," he said.
The state government is spending over Rs 210 crore annually on providing subsidised ration to all card holders, including the Above Poverty Line(APL) families and single women. Terminally ill persons and persons suffering from severe disability have also been added to the list of Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.

"Computerisation of functioning of department which is nearly complete would help in automation of supply chain and information about movement of rationed articles from government agencies to godowns and further to depots would be known instantly," he said, adding that 35 Kg of ration would be supplied to each card holder at subsidised rates.
He said a grievance redressal portal has also been set up and 14,000 inspections were conducted last year.
Bali, who also holds the Transport portfolio, said electric buses would start playing shortly in Manali-Rohtang area making Himachal Pradesh the first state in the country to run electric buses in steep hills over a distance of 200 Km daily.