Viable solutions to PDS portability are being ignored in the push for Aadhaar | The Indian Express

Viable solutions to PDS portability are being ignored in the push for Aadhaar | The Indian Express

Written by Reetika Khera |Updated: November 28, 2019 10:05:02 am

The writer is an associate professor, Economics, at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi

Viable solutions to PDS portability are being ignored in the push for Aadhaar

The sugar and tobacco industry have gained notoriety for having done this in the past: Funding friendly research that cultivated doubts in people’s minds about independent research that highlighted the harmful health effects of sugar and tobacco.

The promoters of portability make it seem as if it cannot be achieved without integrating Aadhaar with PDS. (File photo)

Migrants’ woes are often invoked in making a case for portability of benefits in the public distribution system (PDS). Most recently, an article (‘A hundred small steps’, IE, September 26) did just that. However, in many cases of short-term seasonal migration (a dominant form in India), only one or two of the household members migrate, leaving the ration card behind for the rest of the family to use. What proportion of migrants would prefer to draw their ration at the place of work rather than in their village is a key piece of the puzzle in understanding the extent to which portability of PDS benefits is valued by migrants.