RANCHI: A fresh political controversy has erupted in Jharkhand over the state government's directive requiring ration cardholders to declare their caste details.
Under the exercise, caste information will be recorded for all 67.93 lakh ration card beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Scheme (NFSS) and the State Food Security Scheme (SFSS).
The move drew sharp criticism from Leader of the Opposition Babulal Marandi, who termed the directive "unjust" and questioned the government's decision to seek caste details from ration cardholders.
"No such provision existed previously. If this has been introduced now, it is entirely unjustified," Marandi said.
Citing the Food Security Act, he said free rations are provided to poor families, with the scheme covering nearly 86% of the state's poor population. Given this, creating caste-based ration cards was inappropriate, he added.
Defending the exercise, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dr Irfan Ansari accused the Opposition of misleading people.
He said the exercise was aimed at updating family details in accordance with Government of India guidelines and was not intended to target any particular caste or community.
"The state government is enumerating the families of all ration card holders. Government respects all castes and that no discrimination will be done in this regard," said Ansari.
The Food and Civil Supplies Department has issued directions to supply officers across all districts to update caste details in the ration card database.
An online facility has also been enabled on the department's portal, allowing caste details to be updated through a mobile application and e-PoS devices.
Members of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), however, are exempt from submitting digital caste certificates. Instead, Block Supply Officers (BSOs) will collect the required information and record their caste details on the ration cards.
The department has also excluded white ration cardholders from the exercise, as they do not receive ration benefits under these cards and therefore are not required to furnish caste details. The government aims to complete the exercise at the earliest.
According to Food and Civil Supplies Department officials, the exercise has two key administrative and policy objectives.
The government wants accurate, real-time data on beneficiaries from Scheduled Tribes (STs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and the General category availing benefits under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
The data will help assess which sections of society are benefiting most from welfare schemes and identify groups that may be left out.
The directive has also drawn opposition from the Fair Price Shop Dealers Association. Opposing the move, the association's state general secretary, Gyandev Jha, questioned how ration dealers were expected to ask beneficiaries about their caste.
"The state government has entrusted this responsibility to ration shopkeepers. If a shopkeeper asks ration cardholders about their caste, it will lead to resentment," Jha said and added that the association had urged the government to reconsider the decision.
