Major Ration Card Scam Busted: 18 Lakh Bogus Cards Detected in Maharashtra, 5 Lakh in Mumbai

Nearly 18 lakh bogus ration cards got cancelled in Maharashtra after the government discovered that they were not entitled to receive the benefit, reported Times Now. Mumbai was at the top of the list of ineligible holders following the cancellation of at least 4.80 lakh food security cards in the city following a crackdown by the Maharashtra government on fraudulent enrolments under the program, which aims to provide subsidised food grains to the economically disadvantaged segment of society. Those with high salaries and luxurious lifestyles, such as government workers, traders, and members of upper-income categories, were the ones whose names were on the rejected cards.

When the government was investigating, it learnt that there were large-scale anomalies in the scheme as many ineligible people were taking subsidised food grains from the government and selling them to different units like locals, factories, poultry farms, and other places for huge profits.

How were the anomalies revealed?
An online verification campaign with the help of the Aadhar Card was done for all the applicants/users. That inspection revealed fake ration cards. The authorities did an e-KYC and identified the bogus cards. So far, 5.20 crore people have completed the online verification, and 1.65 crore still need to do the online verification. Most of these ineligible cardholders were residents of Mumbai. At least 4.80 lakh cards that were cancelled belonged to residents of Mumbai, and 1.35 lakh cards belonged to Thane residents. Big cities like Pune are lagging in terms of KYC completion. In areas like Bhandara, Gondia, and Satara completed e-KYC, the report added.

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There are speculations that many of these beneficiaries could include illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and other countries, the report added.

Which Cards Will Be Cancelled?
Ration cards that do not fall under the specified guidelines by the government will be cancelled. The authorities are also removing cards of dead people, duplicates, or fake identities.