TN starts trial of door delivery of ration to elderly, differently abled persons
According to officials, the scheme began on a pilot basis across 100 fair price shops, 10 in each of the selected districts, which include Chennai, Tirunelveli, Sivaganga, Dindigul, Ranipet, Erode, Dharmapuri, Nagapattinam, Nilgiris, and Cuddalore.
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Monday launched a trial initiative to deliver ration supplies directly to the homes of elderly citizens and differently abled persons across 10 districts.
According to officials, the scheme began on a pilot basis across 100 fair price shops, 10 in each of the selected districts, which include Chennai, Tirunelveli, Sivaganga, Dindigul, Ranipet, Erode, Dharmapuri, Nagapattinam, Nilgiris, and Cuddalore.
Under the existing PDS framework, members of ration card-holding families are required to authenticate themselves biometrically at the shop to collect monthly essentials. For the elderly and those unable to travel, a provision already exists to nominate an authorised person to collect items on their behalf.
The new doorstep delivery scheme now takes this support one step further by physically delivering ration items to the beneficiaries' homes. In the current trial, the focus is on those aged 70 and above and differently abled cardholders who have registered for this doorstep delivery.
Officials said the scheme will be run for five days on a pilot basis. During this period, they aim to assess how feasible it is to scale up such a service, what logistical challenges arise, and what the real demand is.
Tamil Nadu has over 2.25 crore ration card holders. The doorstep delivery system, if implemented statewide, could significantly improve access for vulnerable sections of the population, though officials noted that it must be carefully evaluated before a final rollout.
