Proper supply of ration must be ensured to eligible beneficiaries and action has to be taken to prevent misuse of the facility by ineligible persons. The department should block cards of ineligible card holders availing benefit of subsidized food items under the central and state government schemes. These are causing huge loss to the government’s exchequer. There are parameters for possessing BPL ration cards. Moreover, the pro-people schemes that are meant for economically weaker families are availed by others. The Department of Civil Supplies should collect the details of ineligible cardholders to prevent this and ensure that the needy get government benefits. The ineligible families who continue to possess the ration cards must face legal action as per the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, besides the relevant sections of the IPC. The department must recover the market value of the foodgrains they had received utilising the cards.
