Kerala has urged the Centre to extend the deadline for linking ration cards with Aadhaar numbers in the state. The deadline for ration card-Aadhaar linking is September 30 and the Minister for Food and Civil Supplies P Thilothaman has sought more time, stating the process has not been completed yet.
“The linking has not been completed. There are people have not been able to do it so far, though we don’t have an exact figure of how many people are left," the minister’s office told TNM. The minister has stated that he hopes to get a favourable stand from the Centre.
Those who do not get their ration cards linked with their Aadhaar number will not be eligible to collect their rations.
Thilothaman stated on Sunday that Kerala was the leading state in the country when it came to the number of people who have linked their Aadhaar numbers with ration cards.
“The state will achieve 100 per cent Aadhaar linkage with ration cards," the minister said reports The Times of India.
The minister had also voiced objection to the Centre’s move to cut down the allocation of rice and kerosene to the state.
"The allocation of rice and kerosene to the state for distribution through the public distribution scheme (PDS) was inadequate. For a state where rice is the staple food, we needed a special consideration while allotting food gains. Unfortunately, it has not happened. Also, the central government is cutting the share of kerosene allotment to the state," he said.
Kerala in July 2018 had launched a comprehensive ration card management system for providing the services online. The services available online are applying for a new ration card, adding or deleting a member, effecting the change of address, and changing ownership from one taluk to another. The services can be accessed through the site https://civilsupplieskerala.gov.in/.