BERHAMPUR: In a glaring case of administrative negligence, a resident of Ranalai village under R Udayagiri block in Gajapati district was mistakenly declared ‘dead’ in official government records, resulting in the suspension of his Aadhaar-linked welfare benefits.
The affected resident, 46-year-old Jakhariya Pal, discovered the error after he was denied subsidised food grains under the public distribution system (PDS). Although he possesses a valid Aadhaar card, online verification reportedly showed him as deceased, leading to the deactivation of his Aadhaar number.
The error allegedly left Pal unable to access not only PDS rations but also benefits of several other government welfare schemes that require Aadhaar authentication. “I came to know that I was declared dead in government records after being denied PDS rice through my ration card. I then approached the district collector at his grievance cell held at R Udayagiri on Monday to reactivate my Aadhaar,” said Pal.
Gajapati collector Akshay Sunil Agrawal acknowledged that the error was caused by an administrative mix-up. According to him, officials mistakenly deactivated Pal’s Aadhaar instead of that of his deceased brother.
“The authorities concerned inadvertently deactivated the Aadhaar number of the beneficiary instead of that of his deceased brother. Necessary instructions have been issued to the officials concerned in Bhubaneswar to rectify the mistake immediately so that he can continue to receive benefits under various welfare schemes,” said Agrawal.
The district administration assured that corrective measures are underway and Pal’s Aadhaar status, ration benefits, and other welfare entitlements will be restored at the earliest.
The incident has once again highlighted the serious consequences of errors in government databases, where a clerical mistake can deprive genuine beneficiaries of essential public services and social security benefits.
