Punjab health and family welfare minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Tuesday distributed 4,771 smart ration cards in Sohana, Mataur, Balongi and Shahi Majra villages.
Among the recipients, 900 were from Sohana, 752 from Mataur, 594 from Shahi Majra and 2,525 were from Balongi.
The minister said that with the implementation of the scheme, the process of grain distribution had become transparent. With a smart ration card, one can get food grains from any approved depot in the state.
He said the government had not only provided the ration cards, but also health insurance of ₹5 lakh per card holder. The cards have a special chip which has been linked with the ePOS machines available with the depot holders to provide hassle-free assistance to the beneficiaries or their family members, the minister added.