67,000 fake ration cards revoked in Tripura, says CM Biplab Kumar Deb

Agartala/Aizawl: The Tripura government has canceled 67,000 fake ration cards involving 2.81 lakh people, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said.

“After the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government came to power in March 2018, over 67,000 fake ration cards were revoked. These forged ration cards were issued during the previous (Left Front) government,” the Chief Minister said here on Sunday night while addressing an official function.

Tripura Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Monoj Kanti Deb said: “After the computerisation of the Public Distribution System (PDS), over 67,000 fake ration cards were identified. Around 2,81,000 people were involved with these bogus ration cards.”

The Food Minister told IANS that of the 2,81,000 people, who are involved with the false ration cards, a large number of them might be of Bangladeshi nationals.

“Despite thorough inquiry, there was no trace of majority of 2,81,000 people against whom various commodities were issued through the PDS,” the minister said.

He said that the state government had recently started supply of pulses (Masoor Dal) through the PDS at a much discounted rate.

Earlier, rice, flour, sugar, salt and kerosene are being distributed though the PDS at an inexpensive rate.

Tripura Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department’s Secretary Debasis Basu said that “With Aadhaar number seeding, the ‘End-to-End Computerisation of the Public Distribution System (PDS)’ has been completed in Tripura in 2018.

“Tripura is the first State in northeast India to complete the digitalisation of the entire system of the PDS. The Central Government has also appreciated the achievement of the Tripura government in completion of the digitalisation,” Basu told IANS.

He said that Tripura currently has 9,08,212 ration cards involving 36,86,216 people under 18,010 ration shops across the State.

The official said that under the National Food Security Act, 2013, and Supreme Court’s direction, computerisation of the entire PDS process is mandatory.

“As part of the system, all food offices, godowns, fair price shops and related systems have been digitalised by utilising the Common Application Software developed by the National Informatics Centre under the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology,” he added.

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