Officials told to ensure 100% e-KYC compliance of ration card holders

Minister for Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs K.H. Muniyappa directed officials to ensure that the e-KYC of all ration card holders was completed at the earliest.

He was speaking at the Mysuru divisional-level officers’ meeting held here on Friday. Urging the officials to expedite the completion of the e-KYC process, the Minister said steps should be taken to make sure that the ration card holders complete the e-KYC norms.

Setting a month’s deadline for the completion of the exercise, the Minister said that ration card holders should also be warned that their ration supply could be withheld, pending e-KYC completion. Officials were instructed to constitute committees to create public awareness at the district level.

On the vacancies in the Legal Metrology Department, Mr. Muniyappa said that steps will be initiated to fill up vacancies in due course. He also directed the officials to ensure the safe preservation of the food grains stored in go-downs and those procured under the Minimum Support Price scheme.

Manoz Jain, Secretary, Departments of Food and Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs, Legal Metrology, Planning, Programme Monitoring, and Statistics, said that vacant posts in the department will be temporarily assigned to other officers while vacant posts of food inspectors will be handled temporarily by revenue inspectors of the Revenue Department.

Mr. Jain instructed that Aadhaar cards of people from other States be verified, and that ration supplies be ensured even to hilly areas and remote places in Chamarajanagar district where only 10 to 15 houses exist.

On the e-KYC exercise, Mr. Jain said that ration shopkeepers must tell members with incomplete e-KYCs that their food supplies will be withheld, and signatures must be obtained from the members as proof of having been informed.

Vasireddi Vijaya Jyothsna, Commissioner, Food and Civil Supplies Department, said that nearly 1.69 lakh people have not completed their e-KYC, and hence mooted the idea of giving a little more time for single-member ration card holders to comply with the e-KYC.

Officials and staff from various departments, including M.S.N. Babu, Controller of Legal Metrology, and Jagadish M.K., Commissioner, Food and Civil Supplies Department, were present.