Telangana government to introduce ‘One State – One Digital Card’: What is it

The Telangana government is planning to soon issue digital cards to every family in the state. Once implemented, the ‘One State – One Digital Card’ will enable people to avail of various welfare schemes, and food grains under the PDS system, as well as health and other government services with ease, PTI reported.

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy held a review meeting on family digital cards with the top officials of the State Medical and Health and Civil Supplies departments at his residence on Monday evening.

“The ‘One State-One Digital Card’ system has already been in vogue in Rajasthan, Haryana and Karnataka. The officials concerned need to study the scheme being implemented in these states and the benefits being accrued to the people,” Reddy said.

He instructed the officials to submit a comprehensive report on the benefits and challenges in the use of digital cards already being used in Rajasthan, Haryana and Karnataka.

The chief minister asked them to select one urban area and a village in each assembly constituency and prepare an action plan for the family digital card’s pilot project.

He also emphasised that the family digital cards should help the cardholders to avail all the welfare schemes benefits like medical care, ration and other state-sponsored programmes. Each family member’s health profile will be incorporated into the family digital card, making it easier to deliver medical services to the family members in the future.

The chief minister directed officials to provide an option for updating the details of family members, mainly by addition and deletion of names of the family from time to time in the card, as well as to set up a special mechanism at the district level for system monitoring of family digital cards. Reddy also suggested having in place a mechanism at the district level to monitor the use of family digital cards.