52,000 fake beneficiaries of BPL ration cards in UP,govt cracks whip

The government has cancelled all such cards and has decided to conduct a fresh survey to enlist the genuine beneficiaries and provide them with the cards.

The Food and Civil Supplies Principal Secretary,Jacob Thomas,said: “The BPL and Antodaya ration cards provide the beneficiaries with foodgrain at lower rates. While the BPL card ensures foodgrain at subsidised rates,the Antodaya card is meant for the poorest of the poor families,who get free foodgrain.”

The department received reports that people not belonging to the BPL or Antodaya families were enjoying the card benefits. “We asked the districts to get a verification done,with a specific target of checking the BPL and the Antodaya list. And the results were shocking,” said Thomas.

He added that the survey report shows that in the first check,51,736 cards were found to be with ineligible beneficiaries. The state government has cancelled these cards with immediate effect.

“We have cancelled these cards and have also instructed the district administrations to update their list. We have asked them to prepare a list of people who should be the real beneficiaries and issue them the cards at the earliest,” said Thomas.

The state government will also get the Above Poverty Line cards checked,while the Antodaya cards will also be verified on an annual basis.

The exercise forms part of the state government’s efforts to ensure a flawless Public Distribution System (PDS) in the state.