Jammu: Nearly one million ineligible individuals were found to be receiving subsidized rations from government depots in Jammu and Kashmir, as revealed during a meeting led by Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Minister Satish Sharma. Thanks to the integration of Aadhaar with the Public Distribution System (PDS) records, these ineligible beneficiaries have now been removed.
Chairing his first departmental review, Minister Sharma was briefed on the strides made toward transforming and streamlining the distribution system through reforms and technology. Rural Development Minister Javid Ahmad Dar was also in attendance, as well as Commissioner Secretary of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA), Zubair Ahmad, who provided an overview of the department's progress and new initiatives.
Over the past five years, Jammu and Kashmir has seen significant improvements in its PDS. Through innovative reforms and technology-driven processes, the government has strengthened transparency, curbed leakages, and ensured that subsidized food supplies reach the deserving population.
Linking Aadhaar with ration card records has been a transformative measure, eliminating duplications and ensuring only eligible recipients receive rations. An e-verification initiative exposed fake ration cards, prompting a comprehensive re-verification of all ration cardholders through Aadhaar.
Zubair Ahmad highlighted that Aadhaar seeding removed over a million bogus beneficiaries from the system. Presently, Jammu and Kashmir has approximately 24.80 lakh ration cardholders covering 96.74 lakh residents, with 100% Aadhaar seeding. Additionally, over the past two years, the department has enrolled around 8.66 lakh previously excluded beneficiaries, including registered laborers on the e-shram portal.
Efforts are also underway to incorporate children born between 2011 and 2016 into the PDS system. The department is working with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to open new Fair Price Shops (FPS) at identified locations to better serve the community. |
