24/08/2016 (Hindu Business Line) - Food and Civil Supplies Minister U.T. Khader on Tuesday said that the government is mulling offering a choice to BPL card holders to buy either sunflower or coconut, or palm oil as their monthly ration.

Presently, the department is offering only palm oil at Rs. 25 a litre as against the procuring price of Rs. 63.

The same subsidy, Rs. 38 a litre, too would be offered for sunflower and coconut oil too, the present market values are around Rs. 73 and Rs. 99 a litre.

Mr. Khader told presspersons here that not all card holders might like palm oil and hence the government decided to offer a choice without incurring any additional burden.

Tenders would be floated shortly and the system should be in place in a couple of months, he added.

As the department had geared up to issue food coupons to BPL card holders to buy the ration on the lines of the ones issued for kerosene in district headquarters, card holders would have the choice to buy the ration in any of the public distribution shop within the urban local body limit, Mr. Khader said.

Unlike the present system where a particular card is tagged to a particular shop, the coupon system would facilitate freedom of choice to card holders.

Urban local bodies, be they city corporations or city municipal councils in district headquarters, will be covered from September 1.

Thereafter, the system would be extended to local bodies in all taluk headquarters from October and gradually to hobli and village levels, Mr. Khader said.

The Minister said efforts are on to eliminate physical coupons with electronic coupons.

This becomes possible when the card holder links his or her mobile number with the Aadhaar number.

Card holders will be able to choose between palm, coconut & sunflower oil, says Khader