Jammu: Principal Secretary of the Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (DMRRR) Chandraker Bharti on Thursday reviewed the implementation of ration distribution under the Special Relief Ration Scheme for Kashmiri and Jammu migrants and assessed progress on extending social welfare schemes to eligible beneficiaries.
The meeting was attended by Director Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department Jammu and Kashmir Jammu R. K. Shavan, Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner Arvind Karwani and senior officers from DMRRR, Social Welfare Department and the National Informatics Centre.
During the meeting, the Principal Secretary directed departments to ensure ration supply to all migrant beneficiaries enrolled under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) database, even if their e-KYC formalities are pending or under process.
He directed the FCS&CA Department to provide free ration for April and May as a one-time exception during the transition period to all such beneficiaries through designated Fair Price Shops.
The Principal Secretary also instructed the Relief Organisation to reach out to households that have completed e-KYC but have not yet lifted ration and facilitate the process.
He further directed the FCS&CA Department to explore the possibility of establishing a Ration ATM at Mini-Township Jagti, which houses over 5,000 migrant families.
Chandraker Bharti also stressed the need for an extensive awareness campaign through print, electronic and social media to inform migrants that integration of ration cards into the NFSA database is a welfare-oriented reform aimed at extending social security benefits and improving transparency and digitisation.
He clarified that all existing relief provisions and entitlements for Kashmiri and Jammu migrants would continue without any change.
The Social Welfare Department was directed to organise special camps in coordination with the Relief Organisation in migrant camps and non-camp areas to facilitate access to welfare schemes such as old-age pension, widow pension, disability pension, marriage assistance, Ayushman Bharat and scholarships.
Officials informed the meeting that around 21,000 migrant ration cards have already been integrated into the NFSA database, while integration of another 5,000 cards is underway.
The meeting was also informed that approximately 50 percent of families have already lifted ration under the new system.
Authorities further stated that migrant families registered under the relief category will continue to receive 11 kilograms of free ration per person per month along with one kilogram of sugar under the existing scale of distribution.
The Social Welfare Department informed the meeting that 776 migrant families have so far availed benefits under various social welfare schemes after integration of their ration cards into the national database.
