Chandigarh, December 4
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has sought clarification from the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab over the fate of about 24 lakh beneficiaries of free ration scheme, as these cases have been “flagged” by the central government for further verification.
Warring, who is also an MP from Ludhiana, disclosed that he had raised a question in the Lok Sabha seeking information about the beneficiaries and whether the verification of their credentials had been completed.
In a written reply, the Minister of State for Ministry of Consumer Affairs Food and Public Distribution, Nimuben Jayantibhai Bhambhaniya said that there were 1.51 crore beneficiaries in Punjab under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) against a total of 40,93,003 ration cards in Punjab.
Of this, Warring quoted the minister saying, 20,69,338 beneficiaries’ e-KYC had not been completed so far. He expressed concern over the delay by the Punjab government in completing the verification process.
Warring asked the government to list the reasons as to why over two lakh beneficiaries had been dropped from the list. He said, the government must ensure that while no undeserving person gets free ration, at the same time those deserving must not be denied the benefit.
