Govt Weeds Out 4.4 Crore Bogus Ration Cards In Seven Years; Deletion Increased Four-Fold Since 2014

The government has weeded out close to 4.4 crore bogus ration cards over the past seven years, over one-third of which have been junked in Uttar Pradesh (UP) alone, reports Times of India.

After UP, the highest number of bogus ration cards have been weeded out in West Bengal and Maharashtra, where the tally of such fake ration cards stands at 68 lakh and 42 lakh respectively. Other than these, more than 10 lakh such ration cards have also been weeded out in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Telangana and Rajasthan each.

In 2015-16 alone the Government had weeded out more than 80 lakh such ration cards.

“While deleting a large number of such cards, we have also added new beneficiaries who require the subsidised food grain. The main focus of the NFSA is to ensure that the rightful beneficiaries get the benefit. In a way it is a huge saving,” said an official as per the report.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that while in all States and Union Territories (UTs) ration cards are issued to families, West Bengal is the only State where ration cards are issued to individuals.