Bhubaneswar: Odisha has received a total of 15.33 lakh fresh applications for new ration cards or inclusion of names in existing cards across the State, covering 314 Blocks and 64 Urban Local Bodies, informed Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra in the state assembly on Wednesday.
In a written reply to a question by senior BJD leader and Athagarh MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain, Minister Patra stated that out of the total applications, 3,23,145, comprising 6,39,827 members, were found eligible after field verification and have been included under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and the State Food Security Scheme (SFSS).
At the same time, 7,37,530 applications were rejected as they were found ineligible based on the exclusion criteria notified under the State Food Security (Targeted Public Distribution) Rules, 2020. The field verification of the remaining 4,72,478 applications is currently in progress.
Minister Patra emphasised that identification of eligible beneficiaries is an ongoing process. As soon as verification of an individual application is completed, eligible applicants are immediately issued ration cards. The e-KYC verification process is underway and will continue until December 12, 2025.
Sharing statewide statistics, the Minister said that Odisha currently has 3,26,79,854 PDS beneficiaries under NFSA and SFSS. Of these, 3,12,44,276 beneficiaries have completed e-KYC, while 14,35,578 verifications remain pending. During field verification, a total of 6,93,995 deceased beneficiaries were removed, and 33,128 ineligible ration cards, covering 1,20,199 individuals, were deleted from the records.
The Minister assured that the government is committed to ensuring timely issuance of ration cards to eligible beneficiaries and maintaining transparency in the verification process.
