By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: A significant number of underprivileged individuals in Bihar are receiving free food grains under the Food Security Act. In August 2024 alone, 8.9 million (89,398,32) ration cardholders benefitted from this scheme. Across the state, ration cards have been issued to 19.7 million families, including 2.28 million under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana, while 17.4 million cards have been allocated to other needy individuals.
However, complaints regarding irregularities in the scheme have emerged. A large number of people in Bihar have reportedly acquired fake Aadhaar and ration cards. In response, the department initiated an eKYC process to address this issue. To date, 4 million individuals have been identified and removed from the system. The discrepancies were uncovered after the ration cards were linked to Aadhaar, leading to corrective measures. Beneficiaries are required to visit an office for thumbprint verification during eKYC.
Secretary of the Food Supply Department, N Saravanan, confirmed that 95% of ration cards have now been linked to Aadhaar. So far, 61% of people have completed their eKYC, and the remaining verifications will be conducted soon. Through this process, 4 million names have been removed from the ration card system, while 5.5 million have been added. Efforts to remove ineligible individuals are ongoing.
Saravanan also mentioned that individuals working in other states, such as Delhi or Maharashtra, are eligible to collect food grains there. Bihar residents can access rations from any state except Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu.
Food Supply Minister Leshi Singh stated that 83.5 million people in Bihar are being provided with high-quality food grains. There are currently 50,185 public distribution system shops operating in the state, catering to 19.7 million ration cardholders. Each beneficiary receives 5 kilograms of food grains free of charge, consisting of 1 kilogram of wheat and 4 kilograms of rice. Beneficiaries have the flexibility to collect their rations from any shop, without being tied to a specific shopkeeper.
