Chennai, June 17 (IANS) In a pioneering move, the Tamil Nadu government is set to introduce a door-to-door delivery service for essential commodities under the Public Distribution System (PDS), targeting senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PwDs) who face challenges accessing ration shops.

The scheme is expected to roll out by July or August. In its initial phase, the scheme will cover around 15 lakh ration cardholders from the state’s total of 2.21 crore cardholders.

The focus will be on households where residents are aged 70 or above or are PwDs with no other capable family members to collect supplies from the fair price shops. Both Priority Household (PHH) and Non-Priority Household (NPHH) cardholders will be eligible.

Commodities, including rice, sugar, wheat, palmolein oil, and toor dal, will be delivered to beneficiaries’ doorsteps by vehicles such as maxi trucks, mini trucks, and vans operated by the cooperation department.

“Since 2021, new ration card applicants among PwDs have been included under the PHH category. This scheme ensures that all PwDs — regardless of card type — receive home delivery,” a senior official said.

Delivery agents will hand over the items after biometric authentication at the doorstep. The state is proceeding cautiously, drawing lessons from a similar initiative launched in Andhra Pradesh in 2021 by the YSRCP government. That scheme was discontinued in May 2024 due to issues such as biometric failures, irregularities in delivery, and high operational costs.

Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam recently chaired a high-level review meeting with officials from the civil supplies and cooperation departments to finalise implementation plans and the list of beneficiaries.

The state has 24,800 full-time and 10,355 part-time ration shops. Cooperative societies manage over 35,000 shops and already possess a robust logistics and transport network.

“Given this infrastructure, the door delivery scheme is unlikely to face logistical challenges,” an official said.

The initiative is also expected to improve warehouse efficiency by enabling bulk deliveries within the first week of each month, thereby reducing storage losses.

Additionally, over 18.45 lakh families in the state hold Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) cards, entitling them to 35 kg of rice per month. Some AAY beneficiaries may also qualify under the new scheme.

To reach remote and inaccessible areas, the cooperation department already operates 2,494 mobile fair price shops serving hilly and river-locked regions.

–IANS

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