Bhubaneswar: Ration cards of beneficiaries will not be abruptly cancelled as lakhs of people are yet to complete their e-KYC process, food supplies and consumer welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra said here on Sunday.
Over 30 lakh people have not completed their e-KYC process with many people fearing that their names will be deleted from ration cards due to a lack of e-KYC. The minister clarified that the govt will conduct field verification before cancelling any ration card and deleting members from the list of beneficiaries.
“Our officials will conduct a field survey or physical verification of beneficiaries who do not complete their e-KYC process before the deadline to determine whether they exist or not. After a thorough survey, we will cancel the ration cards and delete the names of ineligible beneficiaries,” said Patra.
After the e-KYC process is completed by March 31, the govt will conduct the field visits. The minister said they will complete the survey work by April 15.
“We have opened the portal for people to apply for new ration cards. So far, 50,000 people have applied for new ration cards. We will also conduct a field survey for reviewing the new applications. We cannot provide ration cards to new applicants without reviewing their eligibility,” said the minister.
On Wednesday, Patra told the assembly that the state govt has deleted the names of around 3.92 lakh deceased beneficiaries from the ration cards. The govt has also removed 22,143 ration cards issued in the name of ineligible beneficiaries. The govt has included eligible migrant workers in the place of ineligible beneficiaries.
Patra said people are getting ration under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and State Food Security Scheme (SFSS). “After deleting the deceased people’s names and ineligible beneficiaries from the ration cards under NFSA, we are helping beneficiaries of SFSS to migrate to NFSA,” he added.
In July last year, the state had 92.66 lakh ration card holders under the NFSA, the minister said.