Now Reading: Punjab deletes nearly 2.9 lakh ration cards in 5 years
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Punjab deletes nearly 2.9 lakh ration cards in 5 years
Punjab deleted 2,89,334 ration cards under the National Food Security Act between 2021 and 2025, the Union ministry of consumer affairs told Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The state has 1.52 crore beneficiaries…
The Story in Brief
Punjab deleted 2,89,334 ration cards under the National Food Security Act between 2021 and 2025, the Union ministry of consumer affairs told Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The state has 1.52 crore beneficiaries and 40,93,003 cards. Deletions peaked at 1,52,497 in 2022 and fell sharply to 2,290 this year.
Nationally, over 2.24 crore cards were deleted in the same period. The data comes amid concerns that biometric authentication and server failures are blocking genuine beneficiaries. The ministry said multiple authentication methods and offline point-of-sale devices are available. It added that no genuine beneficiary should be denied rations due to technical glitches, and a concurrent evaluation of the food security programme was underway.
The Indian Opinion
Deleting 2.9 lakh cards sounds like a crackdown on fraud, but the real test is whether anyone deserving went hungry. The Center blames glitches; the state blames central targets. Lost in the shouting are the beneficiaries, especially the elderly and poor whose biometrics fail. The concurrent evaluation of PMGKAY due in 2025-26 will settle the matter only if it names numbers: how many deletions were contested, how many reinstated, and how many families stayed off the ration queue for weeks.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
