The Civil Supplies Department authorities in the district have initiated action against the ineligible ration card holders detected under the NFSA guidelines.
Till today, while FIRs have been lodged against 523 people, about Rs 70 lakh has been recovered from 1,695 people.
The maximum 228 number of fake cards have been found in Bahanaga block followed with 38 in Nilgiri block.
Nine persons, three each in Bahanaga, Nilgiri block and Nilgiri NAC, have been arrested so far for possessing cards illegally. The number of cases in which FIRs have been lodged are Simulia (31), Soro (29), Khaira (27), Bahanaga (228), Nilgiri (38), Sadar (31), Remuna (12), Jaleswar (16), Basta (10), Baliapal (15), Oupada, Bhograi (31 each), Soro municipality (7), Nilgiri NAC (3), Baleswar Municipality (25) and Jaleswar Municipality (7), said District CSO JS Mahapatra.