Scheme will be launched in December, will benefit 75% rural and 50% urban dwellers

About 70 million of the 112 million residents of Maharashtra will be covered under the UPA's ambitious food security scheme, when the state launches the programme in December. The state government proposes to replace the yellow, white and saffron ration cards currently in use under the public distribution scheme with bar-coded smart cards that bear the photograph of the family head.