Families who have not taken PDS rice in last 3 months may lose ration cards

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The Food and Civil Supplies Department has taken the decision to cancel the ration cards of families that have not collected rice from the Public Distribution System (PDS) for the past three months, and they are currently conducting a survey to implement this measure.

Already, approximately five lakh ration cards have been cancelled.

As per information from the department, this action primarily affects Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL) cardholders, particularly those who obtained ration cards primarily for proof of residence and families that have abstained from taking rice through the PDS for the last three months.

Gyanendra Kumar, the Managing Director of the Food and Civil Supplies Department, highlighted the successful implementation of the 'Anna Bhagya' scheme.

He explained, "Under this scheme, we provide 5 kg of rice along with an additional amount equivalent to five kg of extra rice. In some cases, beneficiaries may not have received the money due to various technical issues. Consequently, the department has initiated a survey to cancel the ration cards of those who have not availed rice from fair price shops for three consecutive months."

Kumar further noted that money for the additional five kg of rice had been deposited into the bank accounts of the family heads for the month of August.

Simultaneously, the department is conducting a survey to identify Priority Household (PHH) ration cardholders who own private registered cars (four-wheelers).

Information from this survey is cross-verified with the Aadhaar database, and ration cards are cancelled for those found to be ineligible.

"If a family has not claimed their ration for three consecutive months, they will need to reapply for a new ration card. Ration cards can still be used for medical emergencies," Kumar added.