In a significant crackdown on misuse of the public distribution system (PDS), the Madhya Pradesh government has cancelled a staggering 30 lakh ration cards found to be held by ineligible beneficiaries. The year-long verification drive uncovered a surprising list of individuals availing free food grains meant for the poorest, including directors of private companies and income tax filers.
Directors and Taxpayers in the Queue for Free Ration
The extensive clean-up operation by the state's food and civil supplies department revealed startling anomalies. Data matching with the income tax department identified 38,000 beneficiaries who had filed returns declaring an annual income of Rs 6 lakh or more but were still drawing monthly rations from fair price shops.
Furthermore, cross-checking with the registrar of companies unearthed about 1,500 directors of private companies who were inappropriately enrolled in the scheme. While some initial cases involved members of self-help groups, district-level scrutiny confirmed their ineligibility, leading to the cancellation of their ration cards.
Verification Opens Doors for Genuine Beneficiaries
Commissioner of Food and Civil Supplies, Karamveer Sharma, emphasized the critical need for the verification drive. He stated that the presence of ineligible persons had created long waiting lists, depriving countless needy families of essential food security benefits.
The removal of these 30 lakh ineligible names has now paved the way for 14 lakh eligible beneficiaries, who were previously on waiting lists due to exhausted quotas, to finally receive their entitled ration under the National Food Security Act. Madhya Pradesh currently has 1.31 crore ration cards under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Household (PHH) categories.
Tech-Driven Transparency and Future Steps
The state has implemented several technological measures to strengthen the PDS and prevent future leaks. The department has achieved 94% Aadhaar-based biometric authentication of beneficiaries, placing MP among the top five states in the country for PDS biometric KYC compliance.
To ensure end-to-end tracking, an SMS-based alert system has been rolled out. Beneficiaries now receive notifications when food grains leave the warehouse, arrive at their fair price shop, and are finally issued, along with point-of-sale (POS) machine receipts. Commissioner Sharma added that the next phase involves linking electronic weighing machines with POS devices to enable real-time monitoring and prevent any manipulation in quantity.
This large-scale corrective exercise underscores the government's focus on ensuring that welfare schemes reach their intended target—the most vulnerable sections of society.
