Bhubaneswar: After reopening online portal for ration card applications, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra on Sunday informed that 80,000 ineligible beneficiaries have returned the cards.
“Income tax payers and government employees have voluntarily surrendered their cards, making way for more deserving beneficiaries. We have also successfully eliminated 4 lakh ghost ration card holders from our records,” he told reporters.
Patra further stated that every day 3000 to 4000 ineligible beneficiaries are surrendering their ration cards suo-moto following an appeal by the government. “I would again request those with Rs 10,000 monthly income in rural areas and Rs 15,000 in urban areas, to return their cards. No action will be initiated against them,” he clarified.
Stating that the government is committed to ensuring food security for its most vulnerable citizens, the Minister also appealed to those eligible under the combined umbrella of National Food Security Act (NFSA) and State Food Security Scheme (SFSS), to access essential food grains and rations.
While 6 lakh applications are already in the pipeline, the government is expecting another 4 lakh new applications, official sources said.
