New Delhi, Sep 1 (PTI) Nearly 13,000 people across 11 states/UTs have applied for availing ration cards under the common registration facility launched early last month.

The Centre had launched a common registration facility in 11 states and UTs to enable homeless people, destitutes, migrants and other eligible beneficiaries to apply for ration cards.

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The National Food Security Act (NFSA) provides a maximum coverage for about 81.35 crore persons. At present, around 79.77 crore persons are given highly subsidised foodgrains under the Act. So, 1.58 crore more beneficiaries can be added.

The 'Common Registration Facility' (My Ration-My Right) aims to help states and Union Territories in expeditiously identifying the eligible beneficiaries and issuing ration cards to such people so that they can avail their legal entitlement under the NFSA.

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The registration facility was launched on August 5 for 11 states/UTs, including Assam, Goa, Lakshadweep, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Tripura and Uttrakhand.

"Response to this Common Registration Facility has been quite encouraging as is seen from the nearly 13,000 registration of individual in just 25 days, since the launching of this facility in 11 states/UTs," an official statement said.

A meeting was convened on Thursday under the chairmanship of Sudhanshu Pandey, food secretary, to further expand the coverage of common registration facility, with 12 more states/UTs.

The meeting also reviewed the readiness for further roll-out of common registration facility in these states.

All the participating states/UTs have shown willingness to come on board of this facility so that it helps them to obtain fresh data of potential beneficiaries for inclusion under NFSA, the statement said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)