Paralakhemundi: In a startling case of administrative negligence, a resident of Ranalai village under Mahendragada gram panchayat in R Udayagiri block of Odisha’s Gajapati district has been battling government records that wrongly listed him as deceased, despite being very much alive.
The error led directly to the deactivation of his Aadhaar card, cutting him off from essential government welfare benefits, including his monthly quota of subsidised food grains under the public distribution system (PDS).
The affected individual, Jikhariya Pal, discovered the issue when he attempted to collect his monthly ration and found that biometric authentication failed at the distribution point. Online checks confirmed that official portals had updated his status to “deceased,” invalidating his primary identity document and blocking linked services. Attempts to resolve the matter through online channels proved unsuccessful, prompting him to travel to the Gajapati District Collectorate on Monday to file a formal grievance directly with authorities.
District Collector Akshay Sunil Agrawal acknowledged the administrative mix-up during a grievance hearing, explaining that officials appear to have inadvertently deactivated Pal’s Aadhaar instead of his deceased brother’s. The Collector stated that instructions have been issued to officers concerned, including the Block Supplies Officer, to verify details and rectify the records promptly so that Pal can receive his entitled benefits without further delay. “We are taking steps to immediately rectify this error,” he added.
Pal has urged swift corrective action to reactivate his Aadhaar, release pending rations, and restore access to other Aadhaar-linked welfare programme on which he and his family depend.
District administration officials assured that appropriate steps are being taken to restore the citizen’s official status as living and reinstate his welfare benefits.