Patna, Sep 11
The Bihar government has cancelled the ration cards of approximately 40 lakh individuals following the discovery of irregularities during an E-KYC process, which was initiated to link ration cards with Aadhar cards.
N Saravanan, the Secretary of the Food Supply Department, stated that 95 per cent of ration cardholders have successfully linked their cards with Aadhar, and E-KYC has been completed for 61 per cent of the cardholders. The process for the remaining cardholders is ongoing.
"The names of 40 lakh people were removed from the ration cards, as they were either deceased or were fraudulently receiving benefits from government schemes. Simultaneously, the names of 55 lakh new beneficiaries were added to the system," Sarvanan said.
Under the Food Security Act, a significant number of poor people in Bihar receive free food grains. In August 2024 alone, 89,39,832 ration cardholders benefited from the distribution of food grains. The state has issued ration cards to 1.97 crore families, with 22.88 lakh cards under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana and 1.74 crore cards provided to other needy individuals.
The Bihar government has taken action in response to numerous complaints regarding irregularities in the ration card scheme, which included instances of fake Aadhar and ration cards.
"To address these issues, the Food Supply Department initiated an E-KYC process, requiring beneficiaries to visit designated offices for thumb impression verification. This measure aims to ensure that only eligible individuals receive benefits under the scheme," Sarvanan said.
"During this E-KYC process, it was discovered that some individuals had obtained fake documents to fraudulently claim government benefits. Additionally, beneficiaries working in other states, such as Delhi or Maharashtra, can collect their rations there, with the exception of Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu," he said.
Food Supply Minister Lesi Singh emphasised that the state is currently providing quality grains to 8.35 crore people through 50,185 public distribution system (PDS) shops across Bihar.
"The state has issued ration cards to 1.97 crore households, with each beneficiary receiving 5 kg of food grains free of cost - 1 kg of wheat and 4 kg of rice. Beneficiaries have the flexibility to collect their ration from any PDS shop, eliminating the need to rely on a specific shopkeeper," Singh said.