Sonepur: Around 250 government employees in Subarnapur district have returned their ration cards, according to district administration data received by Monday evening.
The individuals returning their cards include lecturers, teachers, nursing officers, constables, and panchayat executive officers (PEOs). Officials expect the number to increase in the coming days. The move came after the state Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra cracked the whip on ineligible beneficiaries receiving free rice with ration cards and warned of stringent action if they do not return their cards.
The Central and state governments provide free rice to impoverished individuals to combat hunger. However, reports suggest that well-off people have exploited the system, taking advantage of benefits meant for the poor. Some government employees and taxpayers allegedly obtained ration cards under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and the state’s food security programme through fraudulent means.
In Subarnapur district, government employees have been accused of illegally obtaining ration cards meant for the underprivileged and collecting free ration every month. A report titled “809 government employees grabbed ration cards” was recently published in a premier Odia daily, which sparked strong reactions among the local intelligentsia in the district following publication.
There has been growing public demand for strict action against government employees misusing the free rice distribution scheme meant for the poor. The issue has drawn administrative attention, creating panic among ineligible beneficiaries, the Block Development Officers (BDOs) of six blocks in the district said. In response, several officials at the district level have begun publicly disclosing the names of those returning their ration cards.
Despite earning monthly salaries ranging from Rs40,000 to Rs1 lakh, several government employees have fraudulently obtained ration cards meant for low-income individuals and those living below the poverty line. Many of them have been collecting free rice for years, while genuinely needy people in the district struggle to access government food security programs.
Some officials employed outside the district in established organisations have falsely claimed to be poor to avail of subsidised rice. In Dunguripali block alone, 176 government employees were found holding ration cards, of whom 46 have returned their cards. Similarly, 37 in Binika block, two in Binika town, 35 in Birmaharajpur block, 21 in Sonepur block, 21 in Subarnapur town, 37 in Tarbha block, eight in Tarbha town, and 32 government officials in Ulunda block have returned their ration cards. Following media reports, government authorities have launched an investigation.
A probe team, including PEOs and supply assistants, has been formed. They are preparing lists of ineligible beneficiaries and collecting applications for the voluntary surrender of ration cards.
PNN
