The central government provides free ration to the poor. After the Coronavirus crisis hit the country, many families faced financial crisis, the central government increased the scope of free food distribution and provided relief to the citizens. However, there are reports of fraud being perpetrated by those who buy free food grains. On the one hand, there is a double game of buying free food grains from the government and reselling them at government centers. The incident has caused a stir and is now being investigated.
In Uttar Pradesh, it has come to light that 66,000 ration card holders who received free rations have sold foodgrains worth Rs 200 crore at government centers. It is said that this includes wheat and other grains worth at least Rs 3 lakh. It is learned that some of these 66,000 Ration card holders have sold wheat and grains to the government pretending to be farmers.
In Uttar Pradesh, there are about 40,79,000 BPL beneficiaries and 3,19,00,000 free ration card holders. Most of these people are given free food grains every month from the Prime Minister's Poor Food Welfare Scheme. However, 66,000 of them have played double games. It is said that this fraud was exposed due to Aadhaar card. The government department filled in the data of the Aadhaar card mentioned on the ration card in the software. Also, information on farmers selling wheat and grains at government centers was filled in the software. After that, 66,000 Aadhaar numbers were found who did the fraud.
Meanwhile, an inquiry has been launched into how free rations were distributed to the ineligible and further inquiries have been ordered. It has also been directed to submit a detailed report within the next 15 days.