Home delivery of smart ration cards soon

CHENNAI: The Civil Supplies Department (CSD) will soon start delivering new smart ration cards at applicants’ doorsteps upon paying a delivery fee of Rs 25. A government order to this effect was issued recently. Besides, the department will also enable provisions to update addresses on the smart card for the first time. The smart cards were first issued in 2017.

The scheme is set to be rolled out soon and work is underway to upgrade the online portal, https://tnpds.co.in/, for receiving the payment. Applications for new ration cards, address change and addition or deletion of members can only be made online.

While applying for new ration cards on account of change of address or any other reason, applicants will be charged Rs 25. The smart card will be door delivered as well, the G.O said. For corrections in existing cards, consumers will have to pay Rs 20 towards service charge and Rs 25 for delivery.

Currently, upon the approval of a new card, the applicant is intimated through a text message with the PDS shop number. Receiving a new card from a PDS shop is a hassle for consumers and employees of ration shops as well. 

“There are at least 50 to 70 undelivered smart ration cards in every PDS shop. Employees look for the new cards for a few seconds and mostly turn away the consumers saying their cards have not come yet. I visited a ration shop at least four times before getting my card,” said S Santhana Krishnan, a resident of Korattur.

The CSD had in the past discouraged consumers from updating addresses printed on the smart ration cards as the details were verified only digitally. Even after changing the address multiple times, consumers had issues with smart cards only printing the address given at the time of issuance. 

Now that the new provision will be available soon, new smart cards with updated addresses will be delivered to applicants. V Rajaraman, Commissioner of Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, said, “Updating the address on the smart card is optional. Works for launching the scheme is in its final stage.”