People of Uttarakhand will get a smart ration card in February next year and enjoy the facilities of a computerised public distribution system.

The decision was taken at a meeting on computerisation of Food and Civil Supplies Department chaired by Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain in Dehradun on December 21.

Jain asked the official concerned to complete the first phase of work in this regard by February, 2013, and said the heads of district administration should be entrusted with the task of verifying the smart ration cards.

Information and data related to officials right from supply inspectors to Food Commissioners, ration shops, depots and ration card holders in different districts have been fed into the system, Food Secretary Subardhan said at the meeting.

In the next phase the entire supply chain will go online and issuance of smart ration cards to beneficiaries will be taken up after a proper verification process, he said.