Alternatives to Aadhaar based Biometrics in the Public Distribution System

States across the country are taking steps towards providing digital identities to beneficiaries of their Public Distribution System. In doing so, use of Aadhaar based biometrics seems to be the preferred choice of method. However, this method has been widely criticized for several reasons such as high implementation cost and frequent transaction failures. It is important to note that this is not the only method for providing digital identities to the beneficiaries Several other methods exist and have been adopted by different states at different points in time. States currently embarking on the journey of providing digital identities to their beneficiaries might benefit from evaluating all alternatives before making inroads into any specific method