Ration Card : This action has been taken over the past 4–5 months. The individuals removed from the ration card list were found ineligible for the scheme. A senior official of the Ministry of Food said on Tuesday that the government wants to ensure that only eligible beneficiaries receive the benefits of the scheme.
Under this government scheme, poor families are provided 5 kg of free food grains (wheat and rice) every month as a means of subsistence. However, under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), several ineligible people—such as those who own four-wheelers, have monthly incomes above the prescribed limit, or are directors in companies—had been included in the list.
Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said, “About 2.25 crore ineligible beneficiaries have been removed from NFSA.”
Names Removed After Verification
Sanjeev Chopra stated that eligible beneficiaries are being added to the list by state governments. Another senior ministry official explained that the Department of Food and Public Distribution identified the ineligible beneficiaries. Lists were shared with state governments for proper verification and removal of those found ineligible.
He added that, in the last 4–5 months, these 2.25 crore ineligible individuals have been removed from the list. Among them were many people who had passed away. The names of company directors and owners of four-wheelers were also deleted from the beneficiary database.
Eligibility Criteria Being Determined by States
The National Food Security Act (NFSA), passed by Parliament in 2013, mandates coverage of up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population. This brings nearly two-thirds of India’s population under its ambit—amounting to 81.35 crore people, based on the 2011 Census.
States are responsible for identifying beneficiaries and issuing ration cards. The process of removing ineligible beneficiaries and adding eligible ones is continuous. Eligibility criteria are also determined by individual states.
Under NFSA, there are two categories of beneficiaries receiving free food grains:
- Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) families
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Priority Household (PHH) individuals
AAY Families Receive 35 kg of Food Grains per Month
Under the Act:
- Every AAY family is entitled to 35 kg of food grains per month, and
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Every PHH individual is entitled to 5 kg of food grains per month.
In July this year, the Centre informed Parliament that against the target coverage of 81.35 crore people, states/UTs had identified 80.56 crore beneficiaries—leaving scope to add another 79 lakh beneficiaries under NFSA.
There are more than 19 crore ration card holders in the country, and approximately 5 lakh fair price shops (ration shops) across all states and Union Territories.