Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob has urged the Centre to extend the three-month deadline for activating ration cards through e-KYC and defer the implementation of new provisions for temporarily cancelling cards unused for six consecutive months.
In a letter to his counterpart at the Centre Pralhad Joshi, Jacob sought flexibility in implementing the 2025 amendment order to the Targeted Public Distribution System Order, which provides for temporary cancellation and subsequent verification of ration cards that have not been used for six months.
The minister also sought permission for the state to maintain a waiting list of eligible families in the order of first-in, first-out to fill vacancies arising from the cancellation of cards, according to a statement issued by his office on Friday.
He proposed that cards identified for removal could be temporarily shifted to or retained under the state's tide-over/non-priority category, subject to conditions.
The entitlement to foodgrains under the National Food Security Act should not be withdrawn merely because a ration card has remained unused for a period, Jacob said.
He said foodgrains can be provided under the state category whenever required, subject to Aadhaar-based biometric authentication.
Eligibility can be reassessed through e-KYC and field verification within a specified period, and NFSA status can be restored if the beneficiary was found eligible, he pointed out.
Such a system will help remove ineligible families while preventing genuine beneficiaries from being inadvertently excluded and ensuring that NFSA entitlements are availed of only by eligible people, he said.
The minister said the first phase will affect 44,279 priority ration cardholders in Keralam, including 5,370 yellow-card and 38,909 pink-card holders, who had not purchased ration supplies for more than six months.
The fact that these beneficiaries had not collected ration supplies for six months did not automatically make them ineligible, he said, adding that the reasons for their inactivity needed detailed examination, which will take time.
Removing them immediately at this stage can therefore be unjust, Jacob said in the letter.
He also pointed out that around 5,62,494 non-priority ration cardholders in the state had not purchased ration supplies for more than six months.
These families continued under the state's tide-over arrangements and could obtain foodgrains whenever required through biometric authentication, he said.
Retaining the cards will also help families during emergencies such as epidemics and natural disasters, when the absence of ration cards can cause hardship, the minister said.
He cited the COVID-19 lockdown as an example, noting that even affluent families could access foodgrains through fair-price shops during the crisis.
Jacob urged the Centre to permit the temporary shifting or retention of NFSA, Antyodaya Anna Yojana and Priority Household ration cards under the state's tide-over/non-priority category until field verification and reassessment of eligibility were completed.
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