Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is set to suspend the ration cards of around 20.58 lakh people for failure to complete e-KYC verification.
This was stated by Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra on Monday. He said the last day for e-KYC (know your customer) verification was Monday (June 30).
Notably, the e-KYC verification drive was launched across the state in August 2024 to remove ineligible and dead beneficiaries from the national and state food security schemes. The deadline was extended several times.
The Minister told reporters that the government is planning to suspend the ration cards of 20.58 lakh beneficiaries, who have failed to complete their e-KYC verification by the last date, while a window period of three months will be given to these people.
During the next three months, their rice quota will not be issued so that all genuine beneficiaries will come to the fair price stores for their quota of rice, he said, adding that whenever they visit the PDS store, their e-KYC verification will be done and ration cards renewed.
The government will deactivate the ration cards of the beneficiaries, who will fail to turn up at the PDS stores during the period, said Patra.
As per official data, over 3.25 crore people in the state are beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), while another 6.48 lakh people have been covered under the State Food Security Scheme (SFSS).
Regarding paddy procurement, the Minister said the government has procured 19 lakh metric tonnes of paddy during this Rabi crop season while 12 lakh MT of paddy were procured during the last Rabi season. The government will procure paddy from farmers, who have taken their paddy to mandis and got tokens, he said.
