The Tripura government has identified 62,173 fake ration cards involving
2.81 lakh people, a state minister said here on Wednesday.“After the
computerisation of the Public Distribution System (PDS), 62,173 fake
ration cards were identified. Around 2,81,000 people were holding these
bogus ration cards,” Tripura Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs
Minister Monoj Kanti Deb told IANS.
He said a large number of them might be Bangladesh nationals.
There are 9,08,212 ration cards belonging to 36,86,216 people under 1,809 ration shops in Tripura.
“Despite
thorough inquiry, there is no trace of these 2,81,000 people against
whom various commodities were issued through the PDS,” the minister
said.
Starting Thursday, masoor dal would also be distributed
through the PDS. Currently, rice, flour, sugar, salt and kerosene are
being distributed via PDS at a discounted rate.
“With Aadhaar
number seeding, the end-to-end computerisation of the PDS was completed
in Tripura last year,” Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs
Department’s Director-cum-Secretary Debasis Basu said.
“It is the
first state in the Northeast to complete digitalisation. All food
offices, godowns, fair price shops and related systems have been
digitalised ,” he added.
