Ration cards of 1.58 Crore beneficiaries to be temporarily suspended from Oct 1

The Centre is set to temporarily suspend the benefits of 1.58 crore ration beneficiaries linked to ration cards that have not been used to purchase ration commodities for the past six months, with the measure coming into effect from October 1.
Free food grains provided by the Centre to poor and eligible families are distributed through ration shops under the Public Distribution System implemented by State governments.
The details of ration cards and beneficiaries are periodically verified to ensure that eligible families continue to receive the benefits.
Errors may occur in the database when the names of deceased family members remain on ration cards, families move to another location without updating their records, or an individual is listed on more than one ration card.
The Centre has been taking steps to identify and remove such records.
According to the information, around 20.4 crore ration cards cover 80.6 crore beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act across the country.
Under the latest measure, the benefits of 1.58 crore beneficiaries associated with ration cards that have not been used for purchasing ration commodities for six months will be temporarily suspended from October 1.
The concerned ration cards will initially be placed under temporary suspension. The names of the beneficiaries will not be immediately removed from the database.