Ranchi: The Jharkhand government has intensified its crackdown on people who have been illegally availing benefits under the Public Distribution System (PDS). More than eight lakh suspected ineligible ration card holders have been identified, and a statewide physical verification drive is underway to confirm their eligibility.
Officials said those found ineligible will have their ration cards cancelled and will be required to repay the value of the subsidised food grains at prevailing market prices along with applicable interest. Legal action will also be initiated against those found to have obtained or used ration cards fraudulently.
According to the government, around 8,02,685 ration card holders have been identified as potentially ineligible. The list also includes beneficiaries who have not collected their ration for periods ranging from six months to one year. So far, physical verification of 4,61,025 card holders has been completed.
As part of the verification process, authorities are issuing notices to suspected ineligible beneficiaries. If they fail to provide a satisfactory explanation, their ration cards will be cancelled. They will also be asked to reimburse the cost of the food grains received at market rates, pay interest, and face legal proceedings.
The ongoing verification has also revealed several irregularities. Officials found 12,284 single-member ration cards in which the beneficiary is either above 100 years of age or below 18 years, raising questions over the authenticity of these records.
In addition, physical verification is still pending for 21,750 duplicate ration cards. The highest number of duplicate cases has been reported from East Singhbhum, Giridih and West Singhbhum districts.
The government believes that removing fake and inactive ration cards will make room for genuine beneficiaries waiting to be included under the scheme. More than 5.50 lakh applications are currently pending, including 1,94,669 requests for new ration cards and 3,60,178 applications for adding names to existing cards.
Officials said that 1,16,636 beneficiary slots are presently available under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Once the verification drive is completed and fake cards are removed, these vacancies will be used to provide ration benefits to eligible families whose applications have been pending.