BHUBANESWAR: Riding on the successful launch of Subhadra Yojana and Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY in Odisha, the Mohan Charan Majhi-led BJP government is now set to distribute new ration cards to eligible beneficiaries across the state.
Sources said a draft list of beneficiaries has been prepared and the block/ULB level BDO or executive officers have been given access to move the eligible cases to the final priority list.
“The BDOs, municipal commissioners and executive officers have been asked to generate the ration card pdfs (both sides) with new colour combination and laminate the cards by April 22. The laminated copies of ration cards will be distributed among eligible beneficiaries,” said the sources.
This move comes after a months-long e-KYC verification process that saw over 13.86 lakh new applications and deletion of around 5.2 lakh beneficiaries, including over four lakh deceased and one lakh ineligible card holders.
As many as 3.3 crore people from 96 lakh families of the state are covered under the food security schemes of the Centre and the state. The beneficiaries include 3.26 crore under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and a little over 4.2 lakh under the state food security scheme (SFSS).
For years, lakhs of families in the state have complained of being excluded from the PDS despite being eligible. The new drive aims at addressing the exclusions by expanding the beneficiary base after a rigorous data-backed verification. The state government has recently approved distribution of new ration cards to the eligible applicants and addition of new members in the existing cards after proper field verification with reference to the eligibility criteria notified in ‘Odisha State Food Security (Targeted Public Distribution System) Rules, 2020’.
“The new cards will be issued against the vacancies in the NFSA and SFSS ration card databases. The cards will be distributed through special events to be organised at the block and district level. The date of formal launch of distribution will be intimated to the districts shortly,” said an official of the Food Supplies department.
The ration card distribution drive marks a significant moment for the BJP government as it looks to consolidate its image as a welfare-oriented administration. Political analysts termed it as both a corrective step and a political strategy to reach out to vulnerable and underserved populations.
“BJP had been at loggerheads with the previous BJD government as the latter was trying to hijack the PDS claiming the `1-a-kilo rice as its own scheme. Now with the Centre distributing free rice, this new card distribution is crucial for the BJP government to reinforce its commitment to welfare and inclusion,” said an analyst.