Srinagar- The Jammu and Kashmir Department of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCSCA) has vehemently denied allegations circulating on social media about the cancellation of 1.5 lakh Below Poverty Line (BPL) ration cards. The department categorically dismissed these reports as "totally fabricated" and "based on false assumptions" in a statement released today.

The statement specifically addressed a video circulating on social media that falsely claimed the government had issued an order canceling a significant number of ration cards, causing distress among beneficiaries. The FCSCA clarified that no such order has been issued. Furthermore, they refuted the figures mentioned in the video, stating that even the 1.27 lakh figure cited in some media reports regarding fake and duplicate ration card deletions in Jammu and Kashmir since 2013 is inaccurate.

The department clarified that the deletions in question were part of a nationwide initiative to eliminate bogus and duplicate ration cards and beneficiaries, as mandated by the Targeted PDS Control Order of the Government of India. This process, spanning over a decade, has been facilitated by technological advancements like Aadhaar seeding and eKYC, along with field verification.

The FCSCA emphasized that the department is committed to ensuring food security for all eligible beneficiaries. They highlighted that the recent Aadhaar seeding drive has revealed a significant number of duplicate ration cards and beneficiaries, leading to their deletion. However, the department has concurrently added 8.6 lakh eligible beneficiaries to the PDS since September 2022, thanks to a more robust Ration Card Management System.

The department's recent orders focus on including children born between 2011 and 2016 on their family ration cards to ensure they receive the full benefits under the PDS. They have also issued directives for the immediate inclusion of any remaining eligible beneficiaries. As a result, the number of beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) has risen from 66.37 lakh to 66.59 lakh in the past three months.

The FCSCA further clarified that the department is actively pursuing the inclusion of left-out JK registrants on the e-Shram Portal to ensure that no eligible individual is left without access to free or subsidized food grains under the PDS. This effort, undertaken in a mission mode, has resulted in the matching of nearly 34.80 lakh registrants with the PDS database. Of these, 34.40 lakh are currently benefiting from PDS or other schemes, while the remaining 40,000 could not be traced or were unwilling to share necessary details.

Currently, 66.59 lakh beneficiaries are receiving free food grains monthly under the NFSA, while another 31.81 lakh in the Non-Priority Households category are receiving highly subsidized food grains. This signifies that a total of 98.40 lakh individuals are currently benefiting from the PDS in Jammu and Kashmir every month.

The department reiterated its commitment to utilizing technological advancements like Aadhaar seeding and e-PDS to ensure that marginalized communities receive their rightful share of ration distribution. The Department emphasized that securing the marginalised communities their due share in ration distribution and weeding out undeserving individuals remain key priorities to achieve a targeted and effective Public Distribution System.