Bhubaneswar: Odisha minister Krushna Chandra Patra clarified Tuesday that people eligible for ration cards who file IT returns will not be removed from the PDS list.
The Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister issued the clarification after receiving complaints from those people whose ration cards have been cancelled, though they have filed income tax returns.
“I want to make it clear that ration cards of any eligible person will not be cancelled. We will conduct physical verification to check the income of the ration card holders who file IT returns,” Patra told media persons here.
The minister said that he asked the officers of his department to visit door-to-door for physical verification of such ration card holders.
The list of such beneficiaries has been sent to the field-level officials, he added.
Families earning more than Rs 10,000 per month in rural and over Rs 15,000 per month in urban areas will not be included in the Public Distribution System (PDS).
“I want to assure you that the ration cards of poor people will not be cancelled. If someone’s financial status has improved now or any rich person has grabbed a ration card will only be removed from the PDS list,” he further clarified.
Meanwhile, the Opposition BJD and Congress slammed the minister for changing the norms frequently and creating confusion among the poor people of the state.
Senior BJD legislator Pratap Keshari Deb said, “Why did the minister make such a statement and again change it? First, he said the ration card of all persons who file IT returns will be cancelled. Now, he has changed his stand.”
Before making any statement in the media, he should hold a discussion with the department officers and go deep into the issue so that the reputation of his position and department will not be hampered, the BJD leader said.
Similarly, Congress MLA Pabitra Saunta said, “The double-engine government has eight types of policies. The statement of the minister varies from the statement of the secretary and other officers. It seems that there is a lack of coordination among them.”
February 19, in a written statement to the state Assembly, the minister informed that 3,28,932 death cases had been identified and deleted from the ration card database during the ongoing e-KYC process.
Similarly, 61,882 ineligible beneficiaries have been identified through field verification concerning the notified exclusion criteria and deleted from the database so far, Patra said.
So far, 2.99 crore beneficiaries have completed the e-KYC process of their ration cards, while 32.82 lakh beneficiaries are yet to get their e-KYC done.
The e-KYC verification of the remaining beneficiaries is expected to be completed by March 2025, the minister had said.
PTI
