Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will distribute new ration cards in Odisha’s Puri on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day (April 24), Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra informed on Tuesday.
Patra said that 5.9 lakh new ration cards will be distributed among beneficiaries under food security schemes. “District collectors were directed to prepare the new ration cards by today and organise distribution through public functions. These cards will be distributed in a phase-wise manner,” he told reporters.
Odisha currently has nearly 92 lakh ration card holders and the new applicants will get coloured NFSA (National Food Security Act) and SFSS (State Food Security Scheme) ration cards.
Verification of e-KYC (Electronic Know Your Customer) of nearly 25 lakh individuals is yet to be completed. “Though the deadline has ended, we have not struck off the names. Instead, officials have been asked to conduct a field survey,” he added.
So far, the state has deleted around 3.92 lakh ration cards of deceased beneficiaries and removed 22,143 ineligible ration cardholders.
