Surat, August 28 (Hindustan) - The Food and Public Distribution Department (DFPD) of the Central Government organized a comprehensive awareness program for the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme. The event took place at Sanjeevkumar Auditorium in the Pal area of Surat and was designed to educate beneficiaries and fair price shopkeepers on the scheme's implementation.
During the event, MLA Mohan Dhodia emphasized that any citizen, through the Aadhaar card, could obtain food grains anywhere in the country via this scheme. Ravi Shankar, the director of the Central Food and Public Distribution Department, highlighted that the ONORC initiative, which has been in effect in Gujarat since 2019 under the National Food and Security Act (NFSA), eliminates the possibility of middlemen, fake cards, or other types of fraud thanks to its biometric verification method.
"ONORC is a blessing for lakhs of workers residing in a mini India like Surat," said Shankar. Surat Municipal Commissioner Shalini Agarwal added that Surat's selection for the ONORC implementation was a matter of pride for the city.
Attendees were educated about fortified rice and its nutritional benefits through an audio-visual presentation, and present beneficiaries received fortified rice as a token gesture. The program also covered the 'Mera Ration' application, outlining its use and features.
The awareness event facilitated interactions between beneficiaries and Food Processing Organizations (FPOs) operating subsidized grain shops, addressing their concerns and questions about the ONORC scheme. Currently, over 2,000 cardholders in Surat are benefiting from the program.
District Development Officer B.K. Vasava, District Supply Officer V.J. Bhandari, Additional Collector JK Jayegowda, President of SGCCI Ramesh Vaghasia, along with other officials from the Department of Food and Public Distribution, were present, making the event a large-scale collaborative effort aimed at enhancing public understanding of this critical welfare scheme.
