Stern action will be taken against the firms that have tampered with the data of ration card holders in the state, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Friday, while inaugurating the first ever 2-day State Panchayat Conference at Netaji Indoor Stadium.
"I know the firms have either mistakenly or deliberately tampered with the data of ration card holders. Many APL card holders were shocked to see their names in the BPL list and vice versa," the Chief Minister said.
"But this will not be tolerated. If the firms do not rectify their mistakes, stringent legal actions will be taken against them," she warned.
"People work hard and earn money. They do not want to lose their self respect," said Banerjee.
The Chief Minister mentioned that some firms were involved in tampering data. "I will ask the district administration to take steps against those firms. Those firms will be blacklisted," she added. She also asked those firms to correct their mistakes. "It is your responsibility to rectify your mistakes. You have to take responsibility for them,' she said. Banerjee, however, raised question that why these mistakes were found in the list of digital ration cards.
"I was informed that there were many such anomalies. I asked the department to know the exact reason," she said.
"I asked my department to extend one more month for enrolling names. People should not panic," she reassured. The state government took the project of digital ration cards couple of years ago. Jyotipriyo Mullick, state food minister took the initiatives to start the project after getting instruction from Mamata Banerjee.