Bhubaneswar: More than 13.70 lakh people in Odisha have registered their names to get enrolled in the ration card list, a minister told the state assembly Wednesday.
In a written reply to a query by Bijaya Kumar Dalabehera, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra said a total of 6,76,994 applications have been registered for inclusion of 13,70,178 people in the state’s ration card list.
The minister’s reply did not mention the time frame during which the applications were received.
Steps are being taken to include the new applicants, who are found eligible as per the criteria set under the Odisha State Food Security (Targeted Public Distribution System) Rules, 2020, in the public distribution system (PDS), he said.
During the ongoing e-KYC (know your customer) verification process, a total of 3,91,198 death cases have been identified till March 5, 2025, and the names have been deleted from the ration card database, the minister’s reply mentioned.
Similarly, the state government has removed a total of 84,198 ineligible beneficiaries from the public distribution system (PDS), Patra added.
The e-KYC verification of ration cards, which was supposed to end December 31, has been extended several times. The fresh deadline is March 31, 2025.
PTI