FCSCA refutes claim of cancellation of BPL ration cards
8.6 lakh new, left out beneficiaries added to PDS cover since
2022; currently 98.40 lakh beneficiaries availing benefits in PDS
Securing ration
benefits of eligible through tech intervention, deptt’s priority: Spokesman
SRINAGAR, DECEMBER 22: The Department
of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs has strongly refuted reports
from certain quarters on social media, particularly a video, wherein it is
being alleged that “…the Government has issued an order cancelling around 1.5
lakh Below Poverty Line ration cards affecting a huge number of beneficiaries
and putting their families in distress …” while terming the assertion totally
fabricated and based on false assumptions.
As per the statement issued by the
Department, no such order has been issued. Besides, it has rebutted the claims
that the figure being quoted in the said video does not even match the actual
deletion figure of 1.27 lakh cited in media reports for having been reported to
the parliament recently with regard to fake and duplicate ration card deletions
in Jammu and Kashmir since 2013. These are in fact the deletions carried out in
the past, over 10 years in J&K as a part of reforms pursued by the
Government of India across the country.
The document added that elimination
of bogus/duplicate ration cards and beneficiaries is an essential requirement
under Targeted PDS Control Order of Government of India, which is now being
established through technology interventions like Aadhaar seeding, eKYC and
through field verification.
As a result of accelerated Aadhaar
seeding, pursued by the Department, huge duplication of ration cards and
beneficiaries was established leading to deletion of such ration cards and
beneficiaries over the years. At the same time, bringing the left out eligible
beneficiaries under the PDS cover has also been seriously pursued by the
Department, and this effort has also led to the addition of 8.6 lakh eligible beneficiaries
to PDS in J&K since shifting to a dependable Ration Card Management System
in September, 2022.
Further, it is clarified that only
order issued by the Department in recent past in the context of PDS seeks
inclusion of children born during years 2011 to 2016 in their family ration
cards so that additional benefits flow to these beneficiaries and households as
per eligibility under PDS. The Department has also issued explicit orders for
prompt inclusion of any eligible beneficiary still left out under PDS, wherever
reported. As a result of these efforts the number of beneficiaries under NFSA,
who are provided free food grains every month, has gone up from 66.37 lakh to
66.59 lakh during last three months.
Additionally, the Department has also
pursued, in a mission mode, the inclusion of left out JK registrants on e-Shram
Portal so that none such registrant who is eligible under PDS for free or
subsidised food grains, remains uncovered.
A mammoth exercise for matching of
nearly 34.80 lakh such registrants in J&K was carried out in coordination
with NIC and every registrant who remained unmatched with PDS data base, was approached by the
Department of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs and Labour &
Employment Department for securing their inclusion. Of these, nearly 34.40 lakh
registrants are presently availing benefits under PDS or other schemes, and
remaining forty thousand, could not either be traced by the Department or they
refused to share their details and documents, despite making efforts in
coordination with respective district administrations.
Expressing firm resolve of the
Department, a spokesman of the Department said the Department is making
arrangements for providing free food grains every month to 66.59 lakh
beneficiaries under NFSA and for providing highly subsidised food grains to
another group of 31.81 lakh beneficiaries in the Non Priority Households
category, which implies that 98.40 lakh people are presently benefitted under
PDS every month in J&K.
The spokesman further said that the
technological interventions like aadhar seeding, e-PDS etcetera are aimed at
securing the marginalised communities their due share in ration distribution
and this would remain a priority of the Department so that eligible
beneficiaries are benefitted under Targeted Public Distribution System and
undeserving are weeded out.