Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has removed the names of over 1.77 lakh dead beneficiaries from the public distribution system (PDS) since June 15, 2024, the Assembly was informed Wednesday. In a written reply to a query by Congress MLA Sofi a Firdous, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra said no false ration card has been detected in Odisha since June 15, 2024. “The names of 1,77,068 dead people detected in the PDS database have been deleted,” he said. Patra stated that 24,579 names were deleted in Ganjam district, followed by 14,436 in Balasore district, 12,990 in Bhadrak district, 12,139 in Cuttack and 11,736 in Kendrapara district. “The names of 1,77,068 migrant labourers/workers have been included after removing the names of dead people. This has been done according to the directions of the Supreme Court of India,” Patra stated. “So far 6,19,836 beneficiaries have applied for new ration cards in Odisha,” he added.
Replying to a question by BJP legislator Tankadhar Tripathy, the minister informed the House that the Odisha government has been providing free rice to a total of 3.26 crore people under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and 10.03 lakh persons under the State Food Security Scheme (SFSS).