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Drive to weed out bogus ration cards from November 10

BHUBANESWAR: A week after alleged siphoning off huge stock of Rs. 2-per-kg rice came to light in Rourkela, the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department on Tuesday announced a drive to detect bogus ration cards.

All collectors of 30 districts have been directed to verify the number of ration cards in operation in both rural and urban areas and check if valid beneficiaries are holding these cards.

Detection of bogus ration cards will begin on November 10 and will end by January 5.

According to the announcement, the drive is being launched to strengthen the public distribution system and make essential commodities available to needy people through the system.

The step has been taken in view of reports that commodities such as rice, wheat and kerosene are being black-marketed due to existence of large number of bogus cards. Following the verification, the duplicate cards will be made invalid. The list of families categorised under the Below Poverty Line and Antyodaya Anna Yojna will be thoroughly checked and cards held by families belonging to Above Poverty Line in KBK region will also be examined.

Thee cards will be authenticated at every retail outlet during the date between 5 and 7 and between 20 and 22 of every month. Government officials have been designated as verifying officers at every retail outlet during these six days. Name of the officials will be finalised between November 10 and 15. It will be published for public awareness between November 15 and 19.

A first list of real beneficiaries will be submitted to the government by December 25. If scrutiny activities remain incomplete, then spot verification will continue till December 31.

A final list will have to be prepared by January 5.

Beneficiaries have been told to bring proofs of their identification such as photo identity card, driving licence and postal passbook with them. The verifying officers will be carrying the rural BPL list of 1997 and urban BPL list of 1998 with them. It is to be noted that the State government faced embarrassment when goof-up in duplicate ration cards surfaced in Rourkela under Sundargarh district from where Minister for Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Sarada Prasanna Nayak himself is representing.

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