Deadline for ration card renewal likely to be extended

The State government is most likely to extend the February 15 deadline for renewing ration cards, both APL and BPL, issued prior to December 2010.

Of the total 1.26 crore ration cards in the State, about 64 lakh are estimated to be old ones (those issued before December 2010). Of these, only about a lakh cardholders have applied for renewal till now, according to official sources.

It is feared that the government may stop the supply of monthly ration to BPL cardholders if they fail to renew their cards. In a written reply to BJP MLA Sunil Kumar V in the recently held Legislature session, Food and Civil Supplies Minister had stated that directions have been issued to the department officials to take steps to renew old cards.

In 2010, the Food and Civil Supplies department introduced the new system of issuing ration cards. Under the changed regime, biometric data, revenue register number of every household and photograph of the entire family of the applicant are being captured.

It has also introduced online system for submission of applications seeking new ration cards. The department does not have biometric data and revenue register number of citizens who have obtained ration card before 2010. It is linking all new ration cards with revenue register numbers issued by the electricity supply companies in order to prevent bogus cards, sources said.

When contacted, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the department was planning to extend the deadline. “We do not intend to cause any inconvenience to people. The intention is to bring all ration cardholders under the new system,” he added.