Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary on Thursday distributed ration cards to 23 lakh 75 thousand new beneficiaries at a ceremony organised by the Food and Consumer Protection Department at Gyan Bhawan in Patna, and announced that any eligible family that applies now will receive a new ration card within 30 days.

Source: Adani News

Licence letters for 1,448 new public distribution system (PDS) shops were also handed over at the event, which was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Food and Consumer Protection Minister Ashok Chaudhary and Department Secretary Abhay Kumar Singh, with district magistrates and beneficiaries joining from across the state by video conference.

One-crore target, 2.09 crore cards already live

The Chief Minister said the department has been set a target of connecting one crore new people with the ration card system, and about 24 lakh people have been connected so far. Bihar currently has 2.09 crore ration cards through which about 8.46 crore people receive food grain benefits, he said.

Source: TezzBuzz

23.75 lakhnew beneficiaries given ration cards
30 dayspromised time for a new card after applying
1,448new PDS shops licensed
2.09 croreration cards currently issued in Bihar

The announcement follows a recent round of large-scale ration card cancellations in the state, after which many families lost access to subsidised grain. The government says eligible families whose cards were cancelled can apply again and will be re-added to the scheme after verification. The Chief Minister appealed to public representatives and officials to identify left-out eligible families at the panchayat level, including through the Panchayat Day programme held on the last Sunday of every month.

Chaudhary also announced that from next year, ration card holders above 75 years of age will receive their food grain at home, so that elderly beneficiaries do not have to visit PDS shops. Eligible families without a card can apply through the Food and Consumer Protection Department, including online, after which applications are scrutinised by the authorities.

The Chief Minister said the government's resolve is that no poor person in Bihar should remain hungry and no eligible family should be deprived of scheme benefits, and he linked the ration expansion to wider promises on health cover under Ayushman Bharat, 125 units of free electricity, and a target of jobs and employment for one crore people over the next five years.