Fresh survey of beneficiaries under food Act in Punjab after Lok Sabha poll

Ruchika M Khanna

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Chandigarh, January 29

The de novo survey of all beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) will be held after the Lok Sabha elections this year. The survey will also bring those socially vulnerable persons in the fold of the scheme who are eligible for getting free ration, but could not be included as the induction process has remained suspended for two years.

A huge number

No additions or deletions in the number of beneficiaries can be made once the model code of conduct for the General Election is in place. It will take time for the survey to be conducted as the number of beneficiaries is huge. A top official, dept of food civil supplies and consumer affairs

Top officers in the state government have said that though the 10.77 lakh beneficiaries, earlier removed from the scheme in 2022 after a verification drive found them ineligible, have been again brought under the ambit of the scheme, a fresh survey of beneficiaries will be held only after the General Election.

With the addition of these 10.77 lakh beneficiaries, the number of beneficiaries under NFSA in Punjab has now reached 1.54 crore. This is over 50 per cent of the total population of the state.

“No additions or deletions in the number of beneficiaries can be made once the model code of conduct is in place. It will take time for the survey to be conducted as the number of beneficiaries is huge,” said a top official of the Department of Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, adding that the survey will be started after the elections when the government staff is free from poll duty. A 35-point checklist has been prepared by the department for assessing the eligibility of beneficiaries.

It is learnt that the beneficiaries will have to fill these forms and submit these at the common service centres, where the forms will be digitally scanned and passed on to all eight members of the 19,000-odd Fair Price Shop Vigilance Committees. The members of these committees are already specified under the NFSA.

“In the first phase, those beneficiaries whose verification on all 35 points is okayed will be retained/admitted in the scheme,” said a senior officer in the department.