Vadodara: Shown ‘dead’ in records, senior citizen gets new ration card after system error is fixed

Speaking to The Indian Express, Kachhi said, “My family had misplaced the ration card and so, we decided to approach the district administration to have it re-issued… While submitting KYC documents, my son was informed that records showed that his father is deceased. I was startled when they told me that the records showed me dead. I have all government documents, including an Aadhaar card, and could not understand how this could have happened. When we tried to reason with them on that day (Monday), the officials were rude and curtly asked me to verify my Aadhaar biometrics and reinstate my living status… They said it would take 20 days.”

Kachhi said that as the family approached local leaders and submitted a representation to the District Collector, the matter became public, causing the administration to swiftly correct its mistake on Thursday.

“On Thursday, after the matter was escalated by my son with higher authorities, the officer concerned called us and apologised for the error… We were told that it was a system error and so, we decided to leave it at that as they handed over our re-issued ration card today, instead of making us wait for three weeks,” Kachhi said.

When contacted, an official of the Vadodara district supply office told The Indian Express that the error had cropped up in the system. “The officer concerned, who first realised that the person shown as dead on record had personally arrived to rectify the issue, should have dealt with the matter in a more considerate manner. It is true that the regular process to update information takes 15 days or more but in this case, the correction was expedited and resolved…,” the official added.