CHENNAI: Minister for Food and Civil Supplies R Kamaraj informed the Assembly that the government would take a decision on the ‘one nation, one ration card’ scheme after scrutinising all aspects. Earlier, moving a calling attention motion over the Centre’s scheme, AV Velu, DMK member, said that in Tamil Nadu through the Public Distribution System (PDS), the government was distributing 20-kg rice free of cost and dal varieties and sugar at subsidised rates. The Public Distribution System differs from State to State, but the Centre intends to bring the system across the country under a single network.
After all, PDS is State’s right which the Centre should not snatch away, he observed. Velu further said the TN PDS was serving around 1.99 crore ration card-holders. If the one-nation-one ration-card system is implemented, it will bring more ration cards under the system, thereby causing more financial burden to the state. Hence, the government should oppose the scheme.