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Hindustan Times
13-07-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Over 34,000 ‘silent' beneficiaries to be removed from free ration scheme
Around 34,798 silent ration card holders in Ludhiana district are likely to be excluded from accessing subsidised ration for the July to September quarter, if they failed to complete e-KYC verification by the stipulated deadline of July 15, officials familiar with the matter said. The initiative aims to eliminate bogus and ineligible beneficiaries, ensuring transparency in ration distribution. (HT Photo) According to officials, these beneficiaries have not availed their entitled free ration for over a year, putting them at risk of exclusion from the public distribution system under the Centre's 'One Nation One Ration Card' (ONORC) scheme. The initiative aims to eliminate bogus and ineligible beneficiaries, ensuring transparency in ration distribution. According to a notification issued by the Central government on March 17, 2023, all states and Union Territories were directed to launch a 100% e-KYC campaign at fair price shops under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). The move is aimed to create space for the creation of new ration cards after weeding out the bogus one. According to data, there are a total 86,875 beneficiaries in Ludhiana district that fall under the 'silent' category, those who have not availed their ration in recent months. Among them, 34,798 individuals have remained inactive for over a year, while another 52,077 have not claimed their entitlement for a period ranging from six months to a year. With these figures, Ludhiana ranks highest in the state, accounting for a staggering 23% of Punjab's 3.72 lakh silent ration card holders. A senior official from the district food and civil supplies department said that the cases of these inactive card holders have been under scrutiny as part of an ongoing verification drive. 'Many of them are suspected to have obtained ration cards for the sole purpose of availing other welfare benefits such as Ayushman cards, without ever collecting subsidised foodgrains. In some cases, beneficiaries have relocated and no longer reside in the district,' the official added. Meanwhile, to prevent wrongful exclusion, the department has initiated efforts to reach out to such beneficiaries, urging them to complete their e-KYC before July 15. If they fail to do so, then it will result in their ration cards being frozen, and they will be barred from receiving the quarterly wheat allocation which is 15 kg per person, officials said. When contacted, Sartaaj Singh Cheema, district food supplies controller (Ludhiana West), confirmed the development. 'Beneficiaries who have not availed their free ration for more than a year are likely to be excluded from subsidised wheat allocation for the July to September quarter. However, no such action will be taken against those whose inactivity ranges between six months to a year,' he said.
Hindustan Times
30-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Most unverified PDS beneficiaries from Punjab in Ludhiana, Centre reveals
Ludhiana district has reported the highest number of unverified Public Distribution System (PDS) beneficiaries in Punjab following the conclusion of the Centre's e-KYC drive under the flagship 'One Nation One Ration Card' (ONORC) scheme on June 30, officials familiar with the matter said. Most unverified PDS beneficiaries from Punjab in Ludhiana, Centre reveals According to official data, nearly 3.6 lakh beneficiaries in Ludhiana have failed to complete their biometric authentication, amounting to around 10% of such cases across Punjab. These individuals are now likely to be weeded out from the PDS system, which provides free wheat to eligible ration card holders, officials said. Notably, Punjab has a total of 33,48,204 ration card beneficiaries where Ludhiana alone accounted for over 18.1 lakh of them during the time of the drive. Of these, around 46,439 individuals, including deceased and migrant beneficiaries have already been removed from the system. A senior official from the food and supplies department asserted that Ludhiana's high number of unverified beneficiaries is largely due to its large migrant population. Many of these individuals frequently move in and out of the district in search of work, making it difficult for officials to reach them and complete biometric verification during the e-KYC drive. Officials further explained that under the PDS, each beneficiary in Punjab is entitled to receive 15kg of free wheat every quarter. However, as per fresh instructions from the Centre and the state food and supplies department, free wheat for the July–September quarter will only be given to families whose heads have completed the verification. Drive aimed at transparency The e-KYC drive is part of the Centre's larger push for transparency and accountability in foodgrain distribution under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), through the ONORC scheme. The initiative aimed at plugging loopholes in the system through digital drive, where each beneficiary was mandated to verify their eligibility through biometric authentication. In a March 17, 2023 notification, the central government had directed all states and UTs to ensure 100% e-KYC coverage at fair price shops (ration depots) to prevent misuse of subsidies, and outdated records from the system. The aim of this drive was not just to remove bogus entries but also to create space for new, deserving beneficiaries to be brought into the fold, officials stated. When contacted, district food supplies controller (Ludhiana West), Sartaaj Singh Cheema, said, 'Around 80% of beneficiaries in Ludhiana district have completed their e-KYC. As of now we have not received any official instructions regarding the distribution of free wheat to these excluded beneficiaries in the next quarter.'
Hindustan Times
05-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: 3-lakh beneficiaries in district at risk of losing subsidised wheat due to incomplete e-KYC
Over 3.36 lakh beneficiaries in Ludhiana district—approximately one in every five people on the rolls—are at risk of losing their subsidised wheat under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) starting July 1, as they have yet to complete their mandatory e-KYC (electronic Know Your Customer) authentication, an official aware of the matter said. This process, mandated by the central government, aims to eliminate ineligible beneficiaries from the public distribution system (PDS). Despite the official deadline for e-KYC completion being set for May 31, and no further extensions expected, the e-KYC drive will continue until June 30, according to officials overseeing the process. The central government had earlier released a notification on March 17, 2023, urging all states and union territories to conduct a 100% e-KYC campaign at Fair Price Shops (FPS) to ensure transparency in NFSA implementation. While Aadhaar has been successfully linked to 99% of ration cards across India, the government has expressed concern over poor biometric authentication and duplicate entries, making e-KYC vital for the accurate rollout of the One Nation One Ration Card scheme. Ludhiana district, which has over 18.09 lakh beneficiaries, has completed e-KYC for approximately 14.7 lakh individuals. However, 3.36 lakh beneficiaries (19% of the total) have yet to authenticate their records and risk losing their access to subsidised wheat. The unverified individuals are mainly from areas with high migrant populations, including Giaspura, Dhandari Kalan, and Focal Point. These localities have been particularly challenging for verification as many migrants frequently travel back to their home states, complicating the process. District food and supplies officials have stated that only families whose heads have completed e-KYC will be eligible for wheat distribution during the July–September quarter. Additionally, the names of deceased beneficiaries have been removed from the records. In Ludhiana, 2,223 deceased beneficiaries were identified, and 2,155 of those names have already been removed from the records. Sartaaj Singh Cheema, district food supplies controller (Ludhiana West), confirmed that approximately 81.38% of e-KYC verifications have been completed in the district. 'We are conducting awareness drives and will share the list of pending beneficiaries with depot holders to ensure that no eligible beneficiary is left out of receiving subsidised wheat,' he said.
