Agartala, September 04, 2024: The Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Department of Tripura is set to initiate the distribution of Smart Cards, which are memory-chip inbuilt PVC cards, for the beneficiaries of the Public Distribution System (PDS) starting September 2024. This significant development was disclosed by the state’s Food Minister during the first day of the assembly’s monsoon session on Wednesday.

In response to a joint query raised by CPIM MLAs Asoke Chandra Mitra and Sudip Sarkar, the Minister confirmed, “The Food Department, Government of Tripura, has decided to issue new PVC ration cards to replace the old paper ration cards under the public distribution system in the state. The department has already selected a company through an e-tendering process to print these PVC cards. We anticipate that the issuance of these PVC ration cards will commence from September 2024.”

Elaborating on the phased rollout, the Minister explained, “In the first phase, families whose Aadhaar details of all members have been verified through ‘e-KYC’ on their ration cards will receive the new PVC cards. The remaining families will be issued the cards after completing the ‘e-KYC’ process for all their members. It is crucial that the necessary information, such as the names, ages, genders, and addresses of family members, is accurate on the ration card. This accuracy can be ensured through ‘e-KYC’ verification.”

He further highlighted the efforts made by the department to facilitate this process, stating, “Several initiatives have been undertaken by the department to enable ‘e-KYC’ Aadhaar verification by scanning the fingerprints of all ration card holders at the ration shops using EPS machines. However, despite these efforts, a significant number of ration card holders have yet to complete their ‘e-KYC’ verification.”

The Minister also mentioned that the department has launched a special drive to expedite the ‘e-KYC’ verification process. “In this regard, the department has issued several circulars through print media, urging the consumers who have been excluded from the process to visit their respective ration shops and complete their Aadhaar ‘e-KYC.’ We expect that within the next five to six months, it will be possible to issue new PVC ration cards to all families, completing this verification work,” he informed the assembly.