One Nation One Ration Card scheme has positive impact on non-migrants also: Study

Image credit: The Economic Times

Dalberg, a leading social impact advisory group, on Tuesday released an extensive study on “Fulfilling the promise of One Nation One Ration Card”. The report has found that the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme which was primarily created to provide food safety to migrant families has had a positive impact even on non-migrants. It has given households benefiting from Public Distribution System (PDS) more choice and flexibility to choose which Fair Price Shop (FPS) they can get their rations from.

The study was designed to underline the value ONORC reform launched in 2019. ONORC today forms a key part of India’s Public Distribution System and was designed primarily to benefit migrants. The study was supported by Omidyar Network India, an investment firm focused on social impact.

The study focused on five states – Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh which were among some of the early adopters of the scheme and account for more than 40% of PDS transactions conducted under portability.

The report has found that while most households are aware of portability and their right to rations from any FPS, awareness of inter-state portability, (most applicable to the migrant workforce), is at 58%. The study also showed that while most ONORC transactions are successful, technology failures at FPS and fear of stockouts are the top reasons for denial of service.

To know more, read the full article here.