New Delhi, 06 November: During the last seven years, the Central and State Governments have terminated 4.39 crore fake ration cards by checking the ration cards and the database of beneficiaries.
The Department of Food and Public Distribution on Friday said that as part of the targeted campaign to bring technology-backed PDS reforms across the country, modernization of the Public Distribution System (TPDS) and bringing in transparency and efficiency in its operations, ration cards while preparing to implement NFSA And States and the Centre after digitizing beneficiaries’ database, linking it to Aadhaar, identifying ineligible and bogus ration cards, preventing duplication of digitized data and identifying cases of beneficiaries going away and dying, The state governments and government in Union Territories (UTs) have cancelled a total of about 4.39 crore ineligible and fake ration cards in the country during the period from 2013 to 2020.
In addition, the respective quota issued for NFSA coverage is being used regularly by the respective states and union territories for ‘correct identification’ of beneficiaries under NFSA.
Under this, work is going on to include eligible beneficiaries and families and issue new ration cards to them. This work is being done within the respective limits of coverage defined for each state and union territory under the Act.
Under the NFSA, 81.35 crore people are being provided foodgrains at very low prices through TPDS, which is two-thirds of the country’s population as per the 2011 census.
Presently, more than 80 crore people of the country are being provided food grains (rice, wheat and other coarse grains) under NFSA every month at highly subsidized rates issued by the Centre – Rs 3, Rs 2 and Rs 1 per kg. .
