Gandhinagar During the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Gujarat, several projects that brought revolutionary changes in the Public Distribution System (PDS) were launched at the Mahatma Temple here. Many dignitaries including Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Minister Prahlad Joshi were present in this program. In the program, ‘Central Bank Digital Currency’ (CBDC) based modern distribution system and ‘Grain ATM’ were launched as a pilot project. Under this new system, real-time monitoring of the entire stock of ration will be possible, it can even be monitored from abroad. The government claims that this will make the distribution process more transparent, simple and corruption-free.
In his address, Amit Shah said that earlier 5 kg of food grains sent from Delhi used to be stolen midway, but now with the help of technology and digital ration card, not even a single grain will go missing. He said that a new beginning has been made for the safety of the poor through this new machine prepared in Gujarat. Making a direct attack on Congress and Rahul Gandhi, he said that Rahul Gandhi lies and BJP Yuva Morcha workers are ready to debate with him on any platform. Shah said that the people of the country had said ‘Tata-bye bye’ to Congress in 2014 itself. Congress only gave slogans of ‘Garibi Hatao’, whereas the BJP government improved the living standards of 60 crore poor and brought 27 crore people out of the poverty line in the last 10 years.
Speaking on the issue of farmers, Shah said that Indian farmers are safe from the possible trade deal with America and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is standing firmly for the protection of farmers. He told that during the time of Congress, the agriculture budget was Rs 26 thousand crore, which was increased by the BJP government to Rs 1 lakh 26 thousand crore. Besides, Rs 6,000 is being transferred directly into the accounts of farmers, which has reduced their need to take loans. Work is also being done to supply dairy and fishery products to the global market.
Discussing Digital India, Shah said that 11 years ago no one had imagined that India would become the world leader in digital transactions, but today most of the digital transactions are taking place in India. Now the ration distribution system has also entered the digital age.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said that the country is progressing rapidly under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and every decision of the government is taken keeping in mind the poor and the needy. He said that the vision of Digital India has now come true. Small traders are also accepting digital payments and the technology has reached every village. He said that more than 25 crore people have come out of poverty and more than 1 lakh villages have gone digital. He also said that in the coming days, ‘Grain ATMs’ will be fully functional under the Public Distribution System, so that the beneficiaries will be able to get the prescribed quantity of grains in a transparent manner.
Union Minister Prahlad Joshi said that CBDC is not a new technology, but it is a powerful medium to give people their rights. He said that grains are being provided to more than 80 crore people in the country and this is the world’s largest food security scheme. Describing the implementation of CBDC as a big challenge, he said that on the instructions of the Prime Minister, the shortcomings were identified by going to small districts and blocks. A target was set to digitize 100 per cent ration cards and 2 to 3 crore ‘silent’ ration cards will be cancelled, thereby benefiting the genuine beneficiaries. Referring to the statement of the former Prime Minister, Joshi said that earlier only 15 paise out of one rupee used to reach the beneficiary, but now in the digital system the entire one rupee goes directly into the account.
Under the CBDC system, the beneficiary will get a digital food coupon through RBI, which he can scan at the shop and get the grains. Those who do not have a smartphone will also be able to take grains through OTP. Now the beneficiary will be able to see on his mobile which food grains he is to get and in what quantity. At the end of the program, Joshi said that today ‘Digital Satyagraha’ is being started in the grain distribution system from the soil of Gujarat. He said that when Amit Shah launches a scheme, other states also implement it rapidly.
The government claims that this new CBDC based system will prove to be the third eye against corruption and will ensure transparent and time-bound food security to crores of poor people of the country.