62,173 fake ration cards identified by Tripura Government

Guwahati: The Tripura Government on Wednesday identified 62,173 fake ration cards involving 2.81 lakh people.

Tripura Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Manoj Kanti Deb said that the fake ration cards have been identified after the computerization of the Public Distribution System (PDS).

The Government of Tripura has taken the initiative of distributing pulses through PDS for the first time and Otherwise Welfare Scheme (OWS) at a highly discounted rate by availing the benefit of the allocation made by the Union Government.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has inaugurated the programme by distributing packets of pulses among ration card holders in the presence of Food & Civil Supplies Minister after which the fake ration card holders have been identified.

Food & Supplies Minister Manoj Kanti Deb said that a large number of fake card holders might be Bangladeshi nationals.

There are 9,08.212 ration cards belonging to 36,86,216 people under 1809 ration shops in the state. The Minister further said that despite thorough enquiry there is no trace of these 2,81,000 people against whom various commodities were issued through the PDS.

With the distribution of pulses, masoor dal would also be distributed through the PDS. At present, rice, flour, sugar, salt and kerosene are being distributed via PDS at a discounted rate.

Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Director cum Secretary Debasis Basu said that the end-to-end computerization of the PDS has been completed last year with the Aadhar number seeding.

He further said that Tripura is the first state of the Northeast India that has completed PDS digital system with Adhaar authenticated sales at all fair price shops through point of sale machines and due to this digitalization process huge number of fake cards have been identified and thereafter cancelled.

The Chief Minister of the state of Tripura said that it is working towards ensuring accurate targeting, transparent system and truthful utilization of the subsidy provided by both the state and the central government.

It has also been informed that the state government has decided to add another 131 fuel filling stations throughout the state for reducing the queue beside uniform distribution.

Meantime, the gathered people at the inaugural programme expressed that they were very happy for the new initiative and which will surely benefit all.

Also Read: Tripura News