Tamil Nadu government proposed to issue bio-metric smart cards to the beneficiaries during 2012-13 with a view to eliminating the menace of bogus ration cards, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said on Friday.

The present system of issuing family cards lacked any mechanism to identify duplication of members in more than one place resulting in duplication of members as well as issue of bogus ration cards, she told the state Assembly.

Intervening during the debate on the grants for the Food and Consumer Protection Department, Jayalalithaa said bogus billing in fair prices shops for cards not brought for purchase of commodity was also happening and these were the rationale behind the new proposal.

"Director of Census Operations under National Population Registry is conducting bio-metric capturing of fingerprints and Iris of citizens to issue unique identification number. It has been proposed to adopt data for issue of bio-metric smart cards," she said.

Since the data will be subjected to de-duplication, duplication of members and bogus ration cards will be eliminated, she said, adding, bills in fair price shops can be drawn only if the cards are physically brought there.

"It has been proposed to issue bio-metric based smart cards/family cards during the year 2012-2013 by replacing the existing cards," she said referring to the Policy Note of the Department.