Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala food department has identified about one lakh people who have secured priority ration cards even though they live in houses larger than 1,000 square feet. The officials said they were carrying on with the search for more people who have suppressed the information while applying for ration cards.
People with houses larger than 1,000 square feet are not eligible for priority ration cards under the Food Security Act.
Officials have identified 23,319 persons who illegally held priority ration cards in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam and Wayanad districts. Of them 20,252 people have the pink-colored priority cards and 3,067 people have the Antyodaya Anna Yojana cards. They will be removed from the priority list.
The scrutiny is still on in the other districts. The food department embarked on the massive scrutiny after it found that thousands of people have secured the priority ration cards in violation of norms. Government officers, public sector employees, teachers, car owners, those who have houses larger than 1,000 square feet or land more than an acre, people who earn more than Rs 25,000 and who pay taxes are not eligible for priority ration cards.
A previous check had identified 37,429 car owners who had illegally secured priority ration cards. Of them 4,342 people held Antyodaya Anna Yojana cards.
As many as 43,369 government officers had surrendered their cards after the government took a strict stand on the matter.
The department has issued as many as 80.18 lakh cards in Kerala. They are divided into three color-coded groups: yellow, pink and blue.
The yellow cards are granted to the Antyodaya Anna Yojana category. As many as 5.95 lakh families get 35 kilograms of foodgrains free of cost under this scheme. It includes 28 kilos of rice and seven kilos of wheat.
The pink cards are issued to the priority group which comprises 29.06 lakh cards. Each individual who comes under the group is distributed four kilograms of rice and a kilogram of wheat free of cost. A family with four members can take home 20 kilos of foodgrains.
As many as 29.35 lakh blue cards have been issued to people who come under the non-priority group. Each member is entitled to two kilograms of rice and 1 kilo at a nominal rate of Rs 2. Each cardholder can buy one kilo of fortified wheat flour at Rs 15.
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