Civil supplies dept mandates KYC update for ration card holders

Hyderabad: The Civil Supplies Department has issued a directive to the white ration card holders, urging them to update their KYC within the next month.

Civil Supplies Department Commissioner Devendra Singh Chauhan emphasized the importance of this measure in eliminating fraudulent ration cards and preventing the misuse of ration items. The Central Government has mandated the "Know Your Customer" (KYC) process for ration card holders and beneficiaries have been given until January 31, 2024, to complete the update.

Chauhan advised all ration card recipients to undergo the KYC process by the end of the coming month. Civil Supplies Department officials noted that the state has not conducted the KYC update for ration cards since 2014, leading to the inclusion of names of individuals who have married or passed away. Rice is currently being issued based on these outdated cards. The Central Government, as part of the Prime Minister Kalyan Anna Yojana scheme, has initiated the free distribution of 5 kg of rice to every ration card holder during the ongoing Corona virus epidemic. This distribution will continue until the next year.

To curb the misuse of ration and ensure accurate beneficiary lists, KYC updating has been made mandatory. Officials reported that over the past two months, the KYC of every person listed on a ration card has been updated at ration shops throughout the state. This process involves capturing thumbprints or iris scans. As of now, 70.80 per cent of people statewide have successfully updated their ration card KYC during this ongoing two-month process. Medchal district leads with an impressive 87.81 per cent completion rate, while Wanaparthy district lags behind at 54.17 per cent of ration card recipients having updated their KYC so far.