Ration card tales

A recent visit to my hometown and chats with some friends and relatives had me appreciate the ration card system.   Now we have a SMART RATION CARD. We can use this card anywhere across the country to get our ration. For those who are not aware of this system, in India, we have ration card for different income groups. Each income group is awarded grocery from the government free of cost ( for families registered as below poverty line) and for other income groups we receive sugar,pulses at a very nominal price. I have always availed this as I love gifting the sugar to those who would be otherwise purchasing at a slightly higher rate from the usual retail shops. Time slots are given for the respective card holders. 

Out of laziness and the impatience of waiting in a queue most of us request our domestic help to buy on our behalf. This was running smoothly till the government tightened security measures. Now that we have a smart card we need to do a biometric to buy our ration. If we cannot personally go due to varied reason, then we have to get a letter signed and stamped by a higher official. This office is a few kilometers away. A bit irritated I asked why this new rule suddenly. The lady at the counter had a good reason.She said that many were misusing the card held by owners. This was especially in the case of  senior citizens who were being taken for a ride by their own wards or caregivers. 

Sigh. Indeed there are always these law breakers. This rule is definitely good and would avoid mismanagement hugely.  My grouse is that these shops are placed within run -down buildings and narrow streets where I cannot take my car ( talk of privileges). Hence I have to find a parking space and walk... Oooh.  Then this is always the case. Some people break the law and the onus is borne by the law abiding citizen. In a developing democracy technology is not helping.