Now Reading: Centre to disable 15.8 million inactive ration cards from October
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Centre to disable 15.8 million inactive ration cards from October
The Centre will disable the ration entitlements of 15.8 million beneficiaries from October who have not used their cards for six months, a senior government official said. The move is part of…
The Centre will disable the ration entitlements of 15.8 million beneficiaries from October who have not used their cards for six months, a senior government official said. The move is part of ongoing database clean-up under the Targeted Public Distribution System. Cards will be temporarily disabled first, giving users three months to complete e-KYC verification, those who do will have their cards reactivated.
Rajendran Narayanan of Azim Premji University criticised the approach, saying it shifts the burden of proof from the state to citizens. He argued that a rights-based welfare programme should default to inclusion, not deletion. The government has previously removed about 58 million ration cards through digitisation, Aadhaar seeding and e-KYC, and e-KYC coverage now stands at 90.64% as of July 30.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The 15.8 million figure comes after the government already removed 58 million ration cards through earlier de-duplication drives. Under the Targeted Public Distribution System, which reaches roughly 800 million people, even a short disruption can push households without alternative income into food insecurity. The three-month e-KYC window assumes beneficiaries have documents and access to a verification centre, a condition that does not hold in remote or conflict-affected areas. Panchayat-level committees could verify reasons like migration or death before any suspension, but the amended Control Order prioritises a centralised, technology-first approach. The food ministry will release the e-KYC coverage data next quarter, the first concrete measure of how many of these 15.8 million are reinstated versus permanently excluded.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
