Odisha to Suspend 20.58 Lakh Ration Cards for Incomplete e-KYC

Bhubaneswar, Jun 30 (PTI): The Odisha government is set to suspend the ration cards of approximately 20.58 lakh individuals who have not completed their e-KYC verification, announced Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra.

The deadline for e-KYC (know your customer) verification was set for Monday, June 30.

The e-KYC drive, initiated in August 2024, aims to eliminate ineligible and deceased beneficiaries from both national and state food security schemes, with several extensions provided to the original deadline.

The government plans to suspend ration cards of beneficiaries who failed to complete their e-KYC verification by the deadline, offering a three-month grace period.

During this period, these beneficiaries' rice quotas will not be issued, encouraging genuine recipients to visit fair price stores to claim their rice shares.

Minister Patra emphasized that upon visiting the PDS stores, beneficiaries can undergo e-KYC verification and have their ration cards renewed.

He further mentioned that ration cards would be deactivated for those who do not turn up at PDS stores during this grace period.

According to available data, the state's National Food Security Act (NFSA) covers 3.25 crore people, with an additional 6.48 lakh beneficiaries under the State Food Security Scheme (SFSS).

On the topic of paddy procurement, Minister Patra revealed that the government has procured 19 lakh metric tonnes of paddy in the current Rabi season, compared to 12 lakh MT in the previous season.

The government remains open to procuring paddy from farmers who bring their produce to mandis with tokens, advising them to complete their iris scans.

This year's increased procurement results from the state government's decision to offer Rs 3,100 per quintal of paddy to registered farmers, a shift from previous practices where some farmers sold their produce to traders from other states.

(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)