Shillong, Jul 25: Following the Centre’s mandate to link Aadhaar with ration cards under the Public Distribution System (PDS), over 1,000 ration cards have been surrendered across Meghalaya, revealed Food and Civil Supplies Minister Comingone Ymbon.
Of the total, East Khasi Hills saw the highest number of surrendered cards at around 600, followed by approximately 400 in Ri-Bhoi, and fewer than 100 in South West Khasi Hills. Ymbon explained that the Aadhaar linkage through eKYC was introduced to improve the efficiency of the scheme and detect irregularities. The process led to the identification of ineligible beneficiaries, including government employees and individuals holding duplicate ration cards. “This exercise has significantly helped in curbing fraudulent claims,” he said.
When asked if people who oppose Aadhaar had given up their ration cards on their own, Ymbon clarified that no such instances had been reported.
Addressing concerns among the public about being excluded, the minister acknowledged the anxiety but assured that no immediate disruption would occur. Although the Government of India had set June 30 as the deadline for Aadhaar linking, only 63.5% of the state’s beneficiaries have completed the process. Ymbon assured that ration will still be distributed until August, as supplies had been sent in advance under the Sindoor Operation.
