Relief for priority card holders: Govt moves to waive penalty for 85,000-plus

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government is considering steps to prevent more than 85,000 holders of priority ration cards from being charged penalties for rice they received free of cost. Food Minister Anoop Jacob has directed officials not to begin the penalty collection process immediately.

At present, those found ineligible for priority ration cards face penalties ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 1 lakh. The ineligible beneficiaries were identified after ration card details were linked with Aadhaar, which revealed that several people had been using priority ration cards — yellow and pink cards — despite not meeting the eligibility criteria. Kerala Kaumudi had reported the issue.

The Food Department believes that collecting the penalty from priority card holders could turn public sentiment against the government. Minister Anoop Jacob has sought details from officials on the possibility of waiving the amount. Those found ineligible by the Centre will be removed from the priority list.

It has also been found that more than 10,000 of those liable to pay the penalty are beneficiaries of the Centre's PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi scheme. Under PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi, members of land-owning farmer families receive financial assistance of Rs 6,000 a year. Several priority ration card holders are among its beneficiaries.

Many people without land of their own had enrolled in the scheme by showing leased agricultural land as their own. One of the eligibility criteria for a priority ration card is that the applicant should not own more than one acre of land. For many, declaring ownership of land exceeding this limit in their applications has now become a liability.