Experiences from Important lessons learned Voices from the field It is so easy to use Rayagada and the way ahead Now no one else can use my ration card In Gunupur, Rayagada the local Fair Price Shop is run by Bharatmata The pilot reached out to a Through the Rayagada project, A beneficiary from Rayagada, who has been using his local Fair Price Self Help Group, a group of local women. In the last year the operations of their shop have changed drastically with the initiation population of over a million people WFP gained valuable experience in Shop for ten years, comments on the introduction of the biometrics- based ration card, “The Point of Sale device and the biometric cards of the biometric-cards, the Point of Sale device and an electronic being served through nearly 400 implementing TPDS reforms in the were introduced because previously if one of us misplaced our card weighing machine. Considering most of the women are illiterate, one Fair Price Shops and provided field. Furthering the efforts, WFP in and someone else found it, the finder could easily use the card and might have thought that the adoption of this technological solution tremendous learning for an efficient consultation with the Government of take rations. Many ineligible people had fake cards and some even could have posed a challenge for them. However they sum up their TPDS. India undertook an assessment of had multiple cards in the same family and were getting rations they experience a bit differently. “I have now been working with this Self Help Group for 16 years and running the Fair Price Shop for seven TPDS reforms in eight States. This were not entitled to. With the new system only the entitled people get ration cards and only they can use that card. You can take my years. Initially we were nervous about how would we keep records, Achievements was done to develop a Best Practice card but not my fingerprint right! So the misuse of the ration cards as many of us cannot read and write. But then we got some help Removal of fake and duplicate Model for scale-up of the reforms. by those who are not eligible has definitely stopped now.” from another group and some of our younger members who could cards – Prior to the implementation WFP’s initiative has already received read and write were designated to keep records. The new reforms of the project, the total number significant traction. In May, 2013 the No more fake ration cards in the system have made our work easier. The electronic weighing According to a beneficiary, “This system ensures that innocent people scales ensure that we don’t have to repeatedly pick up heavy weights

of ration cards in circulation in Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food Fighting Hunger Worldwide stop getting duped over their ration cards. With the recent changes, and can weigh rations faster. The Point of Sale device authenticates Rayagada were 224,819. After and Public Distribution, circulated we are seeing that the stealing of ration is decreasing. You cannot the card holder and ensures that we give ration to the right people. elimination of the ghost and WFP’s Best Practice Model to all States copy this card and make a duplicate easily, so that has stopped too. Mortgaging of cards cannot happen anymore as the cardholder has duplicate cards, a list of 191,119 with their endorsement, asking them It is a good system and you should roll it out in the whole of Odisha.” to be biometrically authenticated. We did not know anything about families was finalised by the to consider WFP’s recommendations Another beneficiary agreed, “This is the best way to reduce mischief. technology earlier. But this has been easy to use and we have got Earlier one person would come with 10-15 cards and take a trolley support in learning. Now we can comfortably use this technology. administration. This reduction could for implementation in their States. full of ration. That does not happen anymore”. This makes us feel very proud.” result in savings of about Rs. 9 crores (USD 1.5 million) annually for The Rayagada project provided the government. important lessons to the Government of Odisha; they are now scaling Improved tracking systems – up the WFP Best Practice Model Feedback from other stakeholders Mr. Madhu Sudan Padhi, Secretary Food and Civil Supplies, Through regularly updated Point across the State. Some of the initial Government of Odisha shared that the Rayagada project benefitted of Sale device transactions, it has resistance from the community from WFP inputs such as the digitisation of beneficiary database, Rayagada’s Journey in become easier for the system to and the Fair Price Shop owners was biometric registration of all citizens in a project initiated prior to be monitored remotely. This is overcome through stable systems the launch of the Unique Identification Programme, de-duplication Food Distribution Reform also helping in rationalisation of and increased awareness. The (bio-metric identifiers enabled removal of duplicate and fraudulent cards) and cleaning of beneficiary database from bogus, ghost and monthly allocations to each shop experiences in biometric registration duplicate cards. “At least we now know whoever should be getting as now regular data is available from Rayagada, provided valuable [food] is getting it. Without technology, how do we really keep on the monthly allocation and lessons to the Government of India’s track?” consumption patterns at the Fair Unique Identification Programme. Kenro Oshidari, Regional Director of WFP Asia highlights that WFP Price Shops, paving the way for Overall it also provided input for the has worked with governments to implement innovative models for more efficient implementation. ongoing TPDS computerisation efforts food security not just in India but globally as well. “I believe that nationwide by the Ministry of Consumer WFP can assist the Government of India in making substantial Beneficiary awareness – At the Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. savings, especially within the TPDS. If such savings could be beginning of the project it was invested rationally for enhancing the nutritional contents of the food basket in the TPDS, it will go a long way in reducing the levels noted that beneficiary awareness WFP recommends the savings of malnutrition in the country.” levels about their entitlements and generated from the reformed TPDS the TPDS was very low. Through should be invested into enhancing the (P) Ltd. New Concept Information Systems Design and Printing by campaigns organised for the project, nutritional value of the food basket. awareness on issues including TPDS Improved efficiency of the system entitlements has increased manifold allows the right beneficiaries to be reached with the right kind of food. among the beneficiaries. World Food Programme 2 Poorvi Marg, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi 110 057 Tel.: +91 11 46554000 Website: www.wfp.org, E-mail: [email protected] Genesis of the Rayagada pilot Key features of the Rayagada pilot TPDS is operated under the joint The Rayagada project was formulated in responsibility of the Central and the State The Rayagada pilot with the distinct objective of improving targeting and reducing discussion with the Department of Food and Governments. The Central Government, leakages involved a few steps - Civil Supplies, the Government of Odisha, through Food Corporation of India, has 1. Beneficiary list digitisation: the responsibility for procurement of with the objective of improving targeting Beneficiary lists, provided by the Government of Odisha based on the 2002 Below Poverty grains from farmers at the minimum and reducing the leakages through the Line census, were digitised. This formed the basis for biometric enrolment. support price, storage, transportation use of Information and Communication and bulk allocation of grains to the Technology, especially the use of biometrics. 2. Biometric enrolment and de-duplication: Awareness campaigns were undertaken to highlight the importance of enrolment, State Governments. The operational The TPDS in Rayagada had several inviting each individual of the family to register biometrically. Camps were organised responsibility including allocation within problems which included cards in circulation for biometric enrolment. The registration included documenting 10 finger prints and States, identification of eligible families, in the name of non-existent people, more photographs of all beneficiaries. In three blocks iris of both eyes were also captured. issuance of ration cards and monthly than one card in the name of a person/ Rayagada has been the first such project to use multi-modal biometric registration distribution of food grains to beneficiaries family and genuine cards in the hands of at this scale. After the biometric registration, a de-duplication process, based on the rests with the State Governments. inherent uniqueness of biometrics, was used to identify and remove the duplicates. ineligible people. WFP and the Government This was followed by physical verification by the Government of the duplicates before of Odisha signed an agreement in October cancelling those cards. 2007 to initiate the Rayagada pilot. 3. Creation of unique beneficiary database and issuing ration cards: India produces more than 250 million implication. Under NFSA, the coverage TPDS has colossal potential albeit it is not The unique database formed after removing all fake and duplicate cards was used to issue fresh ration cards in three forms, namely biometric smart cards or laminated tonnes of food grains annually, that of the TPDS is 813 million people without its flaws Rayagada barcoded paper cards or barcoded coupons to the beneficiaries. The distribution asw is enough to feed its population. with a projected budget of about Rs. In 2005, the Planning Commission stated in its against biometric verification and hence it could be ensured that only valid, physically The country has further experienced 130,000 crores (USD 21 billion) – it is performance evaluation of the TPDS that nearly 50 existing individuals get the cards/coupons. Village level distribution camps and awareness significant economic growth in undoubtedly one of the largest safety percent of the subsidised food grains issued from the Rayagada is a remote district of Odisha with about campaigns were organised for transparency. recent years. In the past decade net programmes in the world. central pool did not reach the intended beneficiaries due 60% tribal population and having low literacy rates. 4. Development of solution and implementation: alone, per capita income has more About 73% of resident families live below the poverty to identification errors, non-transparent operations and A Point of Sale device-based solution was developed for the urban Fair Price Shops and than tripled and India’s economy is An initiative at this scale is likely to unethical practices in implementation. WFP’s food security line. Household food security is a major concern for a coupon-based solution was developed for the rural areas. Three categories piloted for now the third largest in the world. encounter variations in performance analysis for rural and urban India, further highlighted the local administration not just for the households implementation are as follows: However even today, one in every and effectiveness across regions. food insecurity issues pertaining to the effectiveness below the poverty line as even households above the A. Smart Card solution with a chip containing biometrics which can be read through the Point of Sale device three malnourished children in the The implementation of the TPDS is of the TPDS. Considering the target beneficiary group poverty line are vulnerable to food insecurity due to B. Laminated barcoded paper cards that can be read through a barcode scanner, linked to world lives in India and one third socio-economic and climatic conditions coupled with rife with problems including errors for the TPDS – the poor and the vulnerable sections of the Point of Sale device, which holds the beneficiary biometrics. of all adult women in India are in identifying beneficiaries, diversion society – and its scale of outreach, WFP believes the poor institutional framework. C. Barcoded coupons that are collected and scanned to upload transactions on the underweight. of food commodities, leakage of TPDS is an essential tool to address food and nutritional management information system. No Point of Sale device is needed for this solution. subsidies, lack of monitoring and security in India. The core premise of the TPDS is that This region posed several challenges to successful The coupons were printed in a secure press and had a variety of embedded security features, to prevent use of photocopies. Targeted Public accountability as well as unviable deserving beneficiaries get rations according to their due implementation of the pilot including limited network coverage and connectivity issues such as Distribution System and therefore poorly functioning Fair entitlement. A management information system was developed to track and monitor transactions and The Government of India has been Price Shops. These issues severely inaccessible roads. While it consumption patterns of commodities. was perceived to be a very using the Targeted Public Distribution limit its effectiveness. The Central and In 2007, WFP undertook a study of the TPDS as part of Sundargarh State governments are aware of the challenging district to test a Mayurbhanj 5. Capacity building of Fair Price Shop owners and Government System (TPDS) to deliver subsidised the technical assistance provided to the Government of da Jharsugu Kend Deogarh ujha ore field staff: food grains to the most vulnerable system’s shortcomings and several technological intervention, rg s India. This was aimed at understanding the mechanism arh Bala Bargarh Sambalpur The success of the reforms relied on ensuring that the relevant stakeholders could navigate people. With the new National Food reform pilot projects to make the the rationale remained Bhadrak through which leakages occur and comprehend the Sonapur Angul Dhenkanal Jajpur the innovations with ease and had access to the necessary support for troubleshooting. Security Act (NFSA), the TPDS TPDS more effective have been carried that if it worked there, a Bauda rapara underlying structural, social and economic factors rh Balangir Cuttack Hence, training was conducted for Fair Price Shop owners and the Government field

a Kend p will grow in scope and financial out in different parts of the country. it would be easily a Nayagarh Jagatsinghpur that contributed to the loss of food grain. The study Nu Khorda staff. Regular visits to Fair Price Shops were organised for the technological vendor for Phulbani BHUBANESHWAR Puri scalable. Further Na troubleshooting problems. confirmed that the physical leakage of food grains is b Kalahandi ara n Ganjam the objective of ga rampant across the entire supply chain. Specific gaps pur Rayagada the pilot was also The actual ration distribution through the reformed system started in August 2010,

With a presence in over 80 countries, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Gajapati included disparity in ration card issuance, reliance launched by the Honourable Chief Minister, Mr. Naveen Patnaik. Reflecting on the success is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger. In India, WFP has been working Koraput on human monitoring and lack of transparency and to determine which of the project and its larger potential, he announced the intent of state-wide scale-up of in close collaboration with the Government of India to support various food-based schemes technologies worked Malkangiri the reforms. Having worked closely with the Government of Odisha, WFP is in the process since 1963. Since India is now producing enough food for its domestic requirements, WFP has concurrent monitoring. Error in identification of eligible best in a difficult of handing over the Rayagada project to them by the end of 2013. WFP will continue realigned its focus from being a food aid provider to a catalytic partner to the Government of beneficiaries is also a significant problem. These findings to provide guidance and support to ensure smooth transition and sustainability of the India, working to strengthen the food-based safety net programmes by providing technical formed the basis of the conception and design of the environment. project, while assisting the larger state-wide scale-up in Odisha. assistance and capacity development. With the large number of malnourished people residing Rayagada pilot project. in India, the actualisation of WFP’s vision of ending hunger worldwide is unfeasible without substantial progress here.