Ration cards unused for six months to be deactivated in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Ration cards that have not been used to collect monthly ration entitlements for six months will be identified as ‘Silent Ration Cards’ and deactivated as part of the Smart PDS project in Kerala.

The Commissioner of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs said such cards will be identified on the 21st of every month and deactivated from the first of the following month, making them ineligible to receive ration benefits. This follows a central government directive to remove households that have not availed of their ration entitlement for six consecutive months.

A deactivated card will be reactivated only if all beneficiaries listed on it complete eKYC within three months. Cards for which eKYC is not completed within the stipulated period will be invalidated and removed from the database. Beneficiaries found to be listed on more than one ration card during Aadhaar-based verification will also have their cards deactivated.

Such beneficiaries must complete eKYC within three months, select the ration card they wish to retain, and have their names removed from the other cards. Ration will be allotted only after these procedures are completed and the verification is finalised. Details of beneficiaries who fail to complete the required procedures within the stipulated period will be removed from the database.

The Commissioner of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs said beneficiaries would receive more information on the procedures when the Smart PDS project is implemented in the state.