Maharashtra launches computerised ration cards

The task of preparing 180 million computerised ration cards has been given to Spanco Telesystems, a leading BPO in India.

The Maharashtra government has launched an ambitious programme to give computerised ration cards with bar codes to ensure that people get the benefits of the public distribution system.

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The task of preparing 180 million computerised ration cards has been given to Spanco Telesystems, a leading BPO in India.

Chairman and managing director of Spanco Kapil Puri said: "The entire rationing system in the state will undergo a sea change with the issuing of computerized bar code-based laminated ration cards."

The order, for an unspecified amount, has been given to Spanco with a view to overhaul the operations of the public distribution system.

The project will be completed in three years. The work includes data entry, digitisation of existing 180 million beneficiaries, capturing the photograph and fingerprint of the head of the family, use of biometric fingerprint matching to avoid duplication of cards, printing and preparation of bar code based laminated ration cards.

Spanco will deploy 1,100 people to complete the field project and an additional 1,500 for data entry and digitisation. The beneficiaries could get the computerized cards by paying a nominal fee.

Established in 1995, Spanco Telesystems and Solutions is one of the leading system integration and BPO companies in India and is spread over locations like Mumbai, Pune, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Guwahati.

The company also has a global footprint with presence in Singapore, Australia, USA, Britain and the UAE.