Maharashtra Govt Takes Action Against Ration Card Fraud, Cancels Over 18 Lakh Cards

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has taken significant action against fraud in the state’s ration card system, canceling over 18 lakh fake ration cards. The move follows revelations that affluent individuals, traders, and government officials have improperly benefited from subsidies intended for economically disadvantaged groups.

Authorities also uncovered that some fraudulent cards were held by Bangladeshi nationals, highlighting security vulnerabilities within the distribution system. To combat this issue, the state initiated a comprehensive electronic Know Your Customer (e-KYC) verification drive aimed at authenticating ration card holders’ identities. Currently, approximately 5.20 crore cardholders have completed e-KYC, with about 1.65 crore still pending verification. Although the official verification campaign has concluded, the government announced that e-KYC procedures would continue indefinitely, allowing legitimate recipients to retain uninterrupted access to their benefits.

The impact of the crackdown is clear, with Mumbai seeing the highest cancellations at 4.80 lakh cards, followed by Thane with 1.35 lakh. Districts like Bhandara, Gondia, and Satara have successfully completed most of their verifications, while urban areas like Pune lag behind.

Originally designed to provide monthly subsidized food grains to low-income citizens, the ration card system suffered extensive abuse. Investigations indicated that many financially secure individuals, including government employees and traders, possessed orange ration cards enabling them to obtain subsidized grains. These individuals frequently resold these grains to commercial enterprises, including home businesses and poultry farms, converting a public welfare program into personal gain. The involvement of foreign nationals, particularly from Bangladesh, further intensified the seriousness of the problem.

By rigorously eliminating fraudulent beneficiaries through the e-KYC initiative, Maharashtra seeks to restore credibility to its public distribution system, ensuring that only genuinely eligible recipients benefit from subsidized food assistance.