Food and Civil Supplies Minister Imran Hussain on Friday directed the Food department to immediately clear applications for issuance of ration card pendingfor a long time.
During a meeting, the Minister enquired about the pendency of applications for issuance of ration cards and it was here that he was informed that many applications were pending since 2015 also.
The Minister was further informed that the Government of India has set target of 72.78 lakh beneficiaries in Delhi for coverage under the National Food Security Act 2013. Many applicants could not be earlier covered under the scheme as the limit of 72.78 lakh beneficiaries had already been achieved, and Ration Cards were being issued against the vacancies arising due to deletion of Ration Cards.
The officers of the Department said recently vacancies have arisen due to cancellation of ration cards for various reasons.
“Hussain expressed anguish and concern that various complaints from people and people’s representatives are being received from time-to-time, alleging that some Food and Supplies Department’s circle officers/officials are issuing ration cards arbitrarily and selectively by flouting the department’s guidelines for issuance of new ration cards,” a statement issued by the office of the Minister stated.