RANCHI: In a bid to provide ration cards to those who don’t have them, the State Government is planning to name and shame well-off families who possess them, thus preventing others who really need the precious document from getting it.
The decision was taken in the light of a number of alleged hunger deaths in the State due to non-availability of ration cards.
On Friday also, 40 year old Chintaman Malhar allegedly died of starvation in Pundaria village in Ramgarh district of Jharkhand. Recently Savitri Devi and Chintaman Malhar allegedly died of hunger in Giridih and Ramgarh respectively as they did not have cards to get ration from the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Almost 86 per cent of the quota for issuing ration cards in the State has been filled, but still there are some people who, in spite of meeting all the criteria for getting a ration card, are deprived of it.
"We are planning to name and shame well-off households by writing their name and ration card number in bold letters on the main gate of their residences so that they voluntarily surrender their ration cards paving way for others to get benefits of PDS," said Food and Civil Supplies Minister Saryu Roy.
Unless privileged people do not surrender their ration cards, no space will be created for the poor who have been left out of PDS, he added.
Meanwhile, a directive has also been issued to Food and Civil Supplies Secretary Amitabh Kaushal to identify such card holders who have not been lifting ration from PDS shops for long and cancel them.