Act on all pending applications for ration cards in 3 months: Delhi CM tells officials

Taking a strong stance over 1.8 lakh pending applications for ration cards in the city, the Delhi government has directed officials to dispose of them in the next three months on a priority basis and ensure that 40,000 new beneficiaries are covered every month. At least 1.2 lakh more ration cards can be issued in the city against National Food Security allocation for the national capital. According to the minutes of meeting chaired by Food and Supplies Commissioner (CFS) Ankita Mishra Bundela on July 10, delay in processing the application results in depriving the eligible beneficiaries of their necessary dues.

"Approximately 1.2 lakh vacancies are still existing against NFS allocation for Delhi. As per records, 1.8 lakh applications covering almost eight lakh beneficiaries are pending at the level of various FSOs for verification and approval," minutes of meeting signed by Bundela stated.

Twenty food security officers (FSOs) had not processed even a single application for new ration card in the last one month, it said. "All assistant commissioners (ACs) were informed that in next three months, the entire quota allocated to Delhi should be saturated accordingly 40,000 beneficiaries need to be covered every month. "ACs were directed to personally monitor the work in this regard done by their FSOs on a daily basis and ensure requisite output without fail," it stated.

In the meeting, it was also decided that assistant commissioners will make an assessment of the availability of foodgrains and kits in their districts in view of closure of non-PDS centres which were functional during the lockdown period. "The assistant commissioners were asked to make an assessment of the availability of foodgrains and kits in their districts and to shift them to the respective circle offices and to inform the same to the Janata Samvad Team so that message can be issued to the pending beneficiaries to collect their ration," it added. 

(Image credits: PTI)