Bhubaneswar: Odisha MLAs cutting across party lines Wednesday demanded exclusion of ghost (dead) beneficiaries and inclusion of eligible new recipients in the public distribution system (PDS).
MLAs from the Opposition BJD, Congress, CPI(M) and the ruling BJP raised the issue during question hour in the Assembly.
Speaker Surama Padhy also expressed concern over the issue, stating that the removal of deceased persons from the PDS is crucial, as it is a widespread problem across the state.
In his reply, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra said names of 1,627,920 deceased persons have already been removed from the beneficiary list under national and state food security schemes after field verification and new recipients have been added.
Additionally, the Odisha government has initiated the process of updating e-KYC to verify genuine beneficiaries. Rich or ineligible persons, included by the previous BJD government, will be removed during this process. However, no eligible poor person will be deprived of benefits, Patra assured.
“Biometrics, Aadhaar and other details of the beneficiaries will be verified. The names of deceased persons will be deleted, and ration cards will be issued to new eligible recipients,” the minister said.
So far, a total of 619,000 beneficiaries have applied for new ration cards in Odisha, he added.
“Beneficiaries whose names were deleted due to political rivalry or other issues can reapply, and the government will consider their applications,” he said.
The minister also directed the Malkangiri collector to distribute rations to beneficiaries at their doorstep in remote and inaccessible villages.
Providing details of beneficiaries covered under different food security schemes, Patra, in a written statement, said a total of 2.88 crore people from 80.13 lakh families have been included under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
Similarly, 37.41 lakh people from 12.52 lakh families have been included under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY).
Further, 10.02 lakh beneficiaries from 3.15 lakh families are benefiting under the State Food Security Scheme. In total, about 80 per cent of the state’s population is covered under food security schemes, he informed the House.
PTI