Bhubaneswar: Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister, Krushna Chandra Patra, informed the Odisha Assembly on Wednesday that a total of 4,08,107 deceased individuals have been identified and removed from the ration card database as of March 12, 2025. This action follows the initiation of a data verification process based on Aadhaar-linked e-KYC, which began in August 2024.
Responding to a query from BJD MLA Aswini Kumar Patra, the Minister also revealed that during the field verification process, 23,138 ineligible ration cardholders, covering 87,844 family members, were identified under the “Odisha State Food Security (Targeted) Regulations 2020” and subsequently removed from the database.
Patra further stated that as of March 12, 2025, a total of 6,80,673 applications for ration cards, covering 13,77,675 family members, have been received. The field verification process is currently underway at the block and urban local body levels. Once completed, steps will be taken to include all eligible applicant families under the Food Security Scheme, he added.
This comprehensive data clean-up aims to streamline the ration card system and ensure that benefits reach only those who are genuinely eligible.
