Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government is making arrangements to deliver rice to those ration card beneficiaries who are unable to visit the panchayat office, said Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra today while replying to question in the Assembly.

For elderly beneficiaries whose fingerprints do not work, the government is planning to introduce a special app.

The minister brought serious allegations against the former BJD government, claiming that many wealthy individuals have acquired ration cards through BJD leaders.

The minister said the department is removing ineligible and wealthy individuals from the ration card list, ensuring that only the needy are served. Additionally, he mentioned that ration dealers during the BJD regime misused their positions, distributing money for the party during elections. The minister assured that strict action would be taken against any such corrupt practices in the current administration.

The minister informed that 78% of the state's population benefits from free rice distribution. The government is now initiating a process to identify and remove ghost beneficiaries. The state is set to implement the e-KYC process to detect and eliminate these ghost cards, ensuring that only genuine beneficiaries receive aid. A total of 16,27,932 ghost ration cards have so far been identified while 6,19,836 applicants have applied for new ration cards.