Food Security and the PDS in India
One Nation One Ration Card
This reform lets migrants collect their entitled grain from any fair price shop in the country.
Migrant workers used to lose access when they left home.
The problem
A ration card was tied to a village shop, leaving migrant workers without grain in the city.
The reform
One Nation One Ration Card allows a beneficiary to collect grain from any shop in any state.
Rollout
The scheme became nationwide during the pandemic.
Challenges
Awareness, shop-level stock and connectivity limit use.
A worker in Mumbai
A migrant from Bihar collects part of his family's ration in Mumbai while the rest is collected at home.
Assuming portability is universal in practice
Shop stock and awareness constrain it.
Key takeaways
- ONORC allows collection anywhere.
- It helps migrants.
- It became nationwide in the pandemic.
- Awareness and stock are limits.
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