For ‘one nation, one ration card’ to work, India has to fix a bunch of issues on war footing

Earlier this month, the police found 250 fake Aadhaar cards with the same image in a remote Uttar Pradesh village — Pokhari as per a Hindustan report.

Even though the government has reiterated that the system isn’t susceptible to fraud, India Spend’s report from last year shows that reported incidents are on the rise. Since 2011, there have been 164 Aadhaar-related frauds and nearly half of them — 73 incidents — came to light in 2018.

As recently as February this year, 127 Aadhar cards were deactivated by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in Hyderabad. “Fake Aadhaar number is not issued by UIDAI and hence is not an Aadhaar,” officials told The Hindu stating that, overall, 929 cards have been deactivated since February 2012.

The use of Aadhaar cards to procure essential supplies, at a time when many are facing the risk of starvation, could start a fresh wave of fraudulent Aadhaar-related incidents. “India is still grappling with limited financial, technological literacy — people aren’t sure of what they should or should not share and the authorities have failed to provide that clarity.” researcher Anmol Somanchi told India Spend.

The PDS system, sans its digitalisation, has several gaps. Even Food Ministry officials have acknowledged that there is a “steep learning curve” in ensuring that the availability of food grains matches migration flows.

“The central government must stop Aadhaar-based biometric authentication (ABBA) immediately because of the risk of transmission. It has already discontinued Aadhaar-based attendance for central government employees on the same grounds,” points out Reetika Khera from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad.

Making the world’s largest food security program portable is easier said than done. In order for the ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ system to work, you need uninterrupted connectivity, electronic point-of-sale (ePOS) machines, and operators at ration shops to be familiar with digital solutions.

Rural and remote areas, where the need for PDS is the highest, fall short on all three accounts. “ePoS connectivity remains erratic, jeopardising smooth functioning,” said PRS. The analysis also points out that coverage of ePOS machines at fair price shops is inadequate, with many still using old-school methods like booklets to keep a tally of recipients.

In most states ⁠— like West Bengal, Bihar, and Uttarakhand⁠— where the system has already been implemented, the Aadhaar card hasn’t replaced the ration cards — it’s only complemented it. “Users still need their ration card when they go to the ration shop,” said Silvia Maserio from the London School of Economics (LSE).

The problem is further magnified because the PDS scheme only allows a particular household to buy half of the subsidised grains at a time. “In an effort to prevent one member of the household taking the entire ration for the month it leaves family members in different locations stranded without food,” said PRS.