Kerala all set to complete Aadhaar-ration card linking
An announcement in this regard could be made by December. Of the total 3.54 crore members listed in ration cards, 3.52 crore (99.57%) have provided biometric details.
An announcement in this regard could be made by December. Of the total 3.54 crore members listed in ration cards, 3.52 crore (99.57%) have provided biometric details.
An announcement in this regard could be made by December. Of the total 3.54 crore members listed in ration cards, 3.52 crore (99.57%) have provided biometric details.
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Food and Civil Supplies Department is all set to complete the linking of ration card with Aadhaar — the 12-digit individual identification number provided to the public by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
An announcement in this regard could be made by December as soon as the remaining 1.5 lakh ration-card holders out of the total 92.88 lakh complete the process by providing biometric details (fingerprints) for Aadhaar authentication.
Of the total 3.54 crore members listed in ration cards, 3.52 crore (99.57%) have provided biometric details. Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram and Alappuzha districts have reported 100% submission. Palakkad, Kozhikode and Thrissur districts have achieved close to 100%.
All members of pink cards under the priority section (35.13 lakhs) have linked their rations cards with Aadhaar. About 99.94% yellow card members under the same section are also done with the process.
Under non-priority sections, 99.60% members holding blue cards, 98.94% members holding white cards, and 99.57% with brown cards have linked their Aadhaar and ration cards.
The linking process gained momentum in the State after the authorities announced that those who fail to do so would be denied essential supplies they are eligible for as per the card category based on their income status.
In fact, 99% of the card holders had linked theirs with Aadhaar three years ago, but the process could not be completed so far as 85% of members whose names appear on the card didn't provide their biometrics as mandated. The distribution of special kits during the tough COVID-19 times was also made conditional on the linkage.
Relaxations have been allowed to some people, including the bedridden, differently abled and individuals who could not obtain their Aadhaar owing to various reasons.
How to link
Ration cards can be linked to the Aadhaar by scanning one’s finger on the EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) machine at the rations shops or through the Civil Supplies Department portal.