The Punjab Government led by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is fully committed to ensure benefit of food security to the people of the State. Hence, it has been decided to go for the verification of the beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act, 2013/Smart Ration Card Scheme so as to ensure that people taking ration illicitly are kept out of the scheme.
Interacting with the mediapersons today, the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Mr. Lal Chand Kataruchak said that a decision has been taken to start the verification of the beneficiaries under the scheme from the word go. Under the process, the names/cards of ineligible beneficiaries would be cut off during the verification of beneficiaries of every category on RCMS portal (Except HIV/AIDS afflicted, Women Workers and those children whose parents or head of the family died during Covid pandemic).
The Minister further said that the exercise would be carried out in the entire State under the supervision of concerned DC/SDM and committees would be constituted for the purpose.
For the rural areas, Revenue Patwari and any officer, a G.O.G. member, nominated by the DC can be its member. For the urban areas, the Executive Officer, Commissioner Municipal Corporation or his representative and the concerned G.O.G. member (as per availability) would be the members of the committees.
The lists of the current beneficiaries and the prescribed form would be procured from the District Food Supply Controller and the details of the current beneficiaries whether eligible/ineligible would be recorded in these.
Besides, the reasons would also be specified for cutting off the names of the beneficiaries found ineligible during verification. Apart from this, the verification in the cantonment areas would be conducted by the DC of concerned district through committee formed by him.
Divulging more, the Minister said that verified forms must be sent on daily basis to the concerned DFSC so that this entire data is uploaded on the RCMS. This entire exercise is to be completed by September 30, 2022 and the attested final complete lists of the eligible/ineligible beneficiary families are to be sent to the office of the DFSC concerned.
The lists would be based on the criterion of the beneficiaries before verification, beneficiaries found ineligible during verification and beneficiaries found eligible during verification.In the light of the fixed criteria, the concerned DC/SDM would be the final competent officer to declare a beneficiary eligible or ineligible.