Is Tamil Nadu Introducing Door-to-Door Delivery for PDS Essentials for the Elderly and PwDs?

Chennai, June 17 (NationPress) In an innovative step, the government of Tamil Nadu is planning to launch a door-to-door delivery service for essential goods via the Public Distribution System (PDS), specifically aimed at senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PwDs) who struggle to access ration shops.

The initiative is anticipated to commence by July or August, with the first phase benefiting approximately 15 lakh ration cardholders out of the total 2.21 crore in the state.

Priority will be given to households with individuals aged 70 and above or those with disabilities who lack family members able to collect supplies from fair price outlets. Both Priority Household (PHH) and Non-Priority Household (NPHH) cardholders will qualify.

Essential items such as rice, sugar, wheat, palmolein oil, and toor dal will be delivered directly to beneficiaries' homes using vehicles like 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 guarantees that all PwDs -- irrespective of card type -- get home delivery,” stated a senior official.

Delivery personnel will provide the supplies following biometric verification at the doorstep. The state is taking a cautious approach, learning from a comparable initiative in Andhra Pradesh launched in 2021 by the YSRCP government. That program was halted in May 2024 due to challenges such as biometric failures, delivery inconsistencies, and elevated operational expenses.

Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam recently led a high-level review meeting with officials from the civil supplies and cooperation departments to finalize the implementation strategy and beneficiary list.

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

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

This initiative is also expected to enhance warehouse efficiency by facilitating bulk deliveries in the first week of each month, thus minimizing storage losses.

Furthermore, over 18.45 lakh families in the state possess Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) cards, entitling them to 35 kg of rice monthly. Some AAY beneficiaries might also be eligible for this new scheme.

To provide services to remote and hard-to-reach areas, the cooperation department already operates 2,494 mobile fair price shops catering to hilly and river-locked regions.