Tripura to introduce inter-state portability of ration card by

The Tripura government is planning to introduce inter-state portability of ration cards by January next year, a state minister said on Saturday.

Ration cards which are portable with the state have already been introduced and this enables a beneficiary of the public distribution system (PDS) to buy his or her quota of ration from any fair price shop in the state, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Manoj Kanti Deb said.

"We have already introduced the intra-state portability of ration card from this month. The Tripura government now plans to roll out the inter-state portability by January next year," he said.

Tripura has become the first among the northeastern states to introduce the intra-state portability for which the PDS system has been modernised, he said.

Only 27 ration shops have not been brought under the new system as these are in far-flung areas where Internet connection is not available, the minister said.

"We are trying to bring these ration shops under the new system," Deb said.

Till November, consumers were required to visit their particular fair price shops with ration cards and Aadhaar cards to buy commodities.

The state government has provided Aadhaar-based point of sale (POS) machines in 1,810 fair price shops under the system for distribution of rations, he said.

Deb said the government has also stepped up vigil in fair price shops to stop hoarding of essential commodities.