All eligible families in Kerala will be granted priority ration cards: Minister G.R. Anil

Food and Civil Supplies Minister G.R. Anil has announced that the deadline for submitting online applications for priority ration cards has been extended until February 24.

In a statement, the Minister said that a total of 50,300 applications were received between January 24 and February 19. The drive marks the eighth phase of inviting online applications for priority cards.

He added that the purification of the priority list is an ongoing process. Responding to reports claiming that 8,531 families, including the extremely poor, were removed from the list, he dismissed such reports as misleading and urged the public not to be misled by incorrect information.

As per the provisions of the National Food Security Act, priority category ration cards that have not availed ration benefits for more than three consecutive months are subject to verification. If found ineligible under the prevailing criteria, such cards are reclassified into the general category. Eligible applicants are subsequently included in the vacancies thus created.

During the tenure of the present government, a total of 6,03,845 ration cards have been reclassified and issued, including 58,487 Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) cards and 5,45,348 Priority Household (PHH) cards.