MillenniumPost
Bengal

Those who do not avail facilities of ration urged to surrender their cards

Kolkata: In a bid to ensure that foodgrains at subsidised rates reach the actual beneficiaries, the state Food and Supplies department wants people who do not avail the facilities of ration under the National Food Security or State Food Security to surrender their cards. The department will soon commence the application process for issuing non-subsidised foodgrain ration cards to those who do not avail the benefits.

"Nabanna has already approved the form. We will soon upload this new form (Form 10) in our department's website and will advertise through different medium," a senior official of the state Food & Supplies department said.

It may be mentioned that the quota fixed by the Centre of 6.1 crore people under the National Food Security in Bengal has already been reached and so no new beneficiaries can be added afresh.

"Ration cards in Bengal are like a legacy. People belonging to the upper class or upper-middle class of society are still possessing ration cards but hardly take foodgrains under the Public Distribution System (PDS) from the ration shops. This new initiative is aimed at making them surrender their cards so that more and more needy people can derive benefits of this subsidised PDS system," the official added.

The new card will render the old ration cards null and void and foodgrains or kerosene oil cannot be availed. But it will be an identity proof as it will have the address and other necessary details of a person. Anyone above the age of five can apply for this new card. It will be sent through post to the address of the beneficiary.

Two years back, the department had opened up the window for people surrendering their cards through Form 7. However, in that system, there was no provision of issuing any card that could be used as an identity.

The response according to officials of the Food department was lukewarm.

"We are hopeful that people will accept this new system and we will be able to bring another four to five per cent poor people under the PDS cover," the official stated.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced last month that the state government had decided to issue two categories of ration cards — one to avail of rations and the other a non-foodgrain digital ration card. She had said that many people who do not withdraw ration under the PDS want to retain their ration cards as identity proofs.

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