Odisha has more than 16 lakh ghost ration cards; names of eligible beneficiaries were removed, says minister
Arpit Pattnaik
In the state of Odisha, the food supplies and consumer welfare minister, Krushna Chandra Patra, revealed that there are more than 1.6 million ghost ration card holders under the food security scheme. In response to a question from BJP MLA Durga Prasanna Nayak in the State Assembly, Patra stated that 619,836 applicants have applied for new ration cards. Patra encouraged those beneficiaries whose names were removed due to political reasons or other issues to reapply, assuring that the government will consider their applications.
The Odisha government has initiated the process of updating Know Your Customer (KYC) details to verify original beneficiaries. Biometrics and other beneficiary information will be collected for ration cards. Furthermore, names of deceased beneficiaries will be removed and new cards will be issued to eligible beneficiaries. It's been reported that there are 10 parameters for enrolling and issuing new ration cards. The process to remove ghost ration card holders and add eligible beneficiaries will be carried out through the update of KYC norms.
