January 29, 2008	Tuesday	Muharram 19, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Jan 28: The federal government has directed all provinces and the Islamabad administration to launch its Ration Card Scheme (RCS) on February 9, though the scheme is yet to be given final shape, Dawn learnt on Monday.

Sources in the local administration said they were in a fix how to implement a half-cooked scheme. Food secretaries of the provinces and Islamabad discussed the dilemma of implementation at a meeting but came up with no clue.

Under the standard set by the government people with monthly income of Rs4,600 or below would be eligible to benefit from the RCS but the method to determine the income is yet to be devised, the sources said.

National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) Chairman Brig (retired) Saleem Ahmed Moeen had offered help in this regard as his organisation possessed information about the financial status of holders of Computerised National Identity Card.

Another confusion in the scheme that needs to be addressed is whether the eligible person would be issued a ration card or would be provided ration by some other means.

People of low-income group are proposed to be provided five kitchen items - Atta (wheat flour), rice, Dal Chana, vegetable ghee and tea under the scheme. But it is not yet decided whether these items would be provided free of cost or at subsidised rates.

Islamabad administration was said to have suggested to the government that poor people already registered with Baitul Maal and Zakat schemes should be entitled for RCS. That criteria, if accepted, would benefit over 9,000 citizens of Islamabad.

Baitul Maal has 6,712 people of Islamabad on its list of beneficiaries while 2,500 benefit from Zakat scheme. Those registered with both Baitul Maal and Zakat schemes would be eligible to avail RCS.

Since all poor people are not on the rolls of the two schemes, the number of people deserving RCS benefits would be more.