New ration cards in Odisha to be distributed on Rashtriya Panchayati Raj Diwas

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will distribute new ration cards in Puri on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day (April 24), with around 5,90,000 beneficiaries set to receive them. This was revealed on Tuesday by Food Supplies Minister Krushna Chandra Patra.

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At present, nearly 25 lakh individuals are still required to complete their e-KYC (Electronic Know Your Customer) process for verification, as per official sources. Field officers will be mobilised to address and resolve this issue promptly.

Officials to visit fields for e-KYC

Minister Patra emphasised that the 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.

“After the survey, around 5,90,000 beneficiaries have been found eligible for new ration cards. As all the cards cannot be distributed in a single day, they are to be distributed in a phased manner. Around 9 lakh applications were received by us. The remaining e-KYC will gradually be surveyed. Our officers will contact the person to person at the ground level and verify the e-KYC and ascertain why the cardholders have not yet complied,” Minister Patra said.

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“Some of the cardholders are perhaps absent at their given address, or are unavailable, or are fake ones. The total number of unverified cardholders is around 25 lakh, but we have to verify those. The deadline has already passed, and we have not closed the verification option, which will be done after a field visit by our officers,” the Minister stated.