Nearly 5 lakh removed from ration card list in Odisha in ongoing e-KYC

Odisha government has removed 4,95,951 deceased and ineligible beneficiaries from the Public Distribution System (PDS) during the ongoing e-KYC (electronic-Know Your Customer) verification process, Food Supplies Minister Krushna Chandra Patra said on Wednesday.

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Minister Patra answers to query by MLA Sofia

In response to a query by Congress MLA Sofia Firdous during a Legislative Assembly session, Minister Patra explained that the e-KYC verification drive began across the state in August-September 2024. Since the start of the drive until March 12 of this year, a total of 4,08,107 death cases have been identified. As a result, those names have been removed from the ration card database.

Additionally, the verification process uncovered 23,138 ineligible ration cards, which included 87,844 members. These were identified through field verification across Odisha based on 10 exclusion criteria outlined in the Odisha State Food Security (Targeted) Rules, 2020, and have been excluded from the database, the Minister added.

Patra emphasised that officials conducting field verification in blocks and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) have been instructed to strictly adhere to the eligibility criteria specified in the rules. “The state government is committed to ensuring that eligible beneficiaries are not deprived of ration cards,” the Minister asserted.

In a separate written statement, Patra mentioned that out of 3.30 crore beneficiaries, 3.01 crore (91%) have completed their e-KYC verification. A large-scale awareness campaign is being carried out at the district level to facilitate the e-KYC verification of the remaining 29,16,866 beneficiaries by March 31, 2025.

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Till March 12 this year, the Government has received 6,80,673 applications to include 13,77,675 members in the PDS. Field-level verification of these applications is currently underway at the block and ULB levels. Once the e-KYC process is completed, steps will be taken to include eligible individuals in the food security scheme, the Minister concluded.