Govt Cancels 2.49 Crore Ration Cards: Fake, Ineligible, eKYC Cited

• Between 2020 and 2025, 2.49 crore ration cards were cancelled across states and union territories.
• Cancellations were due to reasons like fake cards, ineligibility, eKYC mismatch, deaths, and permanent migration, aiming for proper targeting.
• The Centre stated it has not received complaints of wrongful deletion, despite eKYC issues causing problems for some poor individuals.
• The National Food Security Act (NFSA) provides free food grains to approximately 80 crore people.
• There's an urgent need to distribute new cards to truly eligible poor individuals to ensure food security.

Why It Matters: Mass ration card cancellations could deny food security to millions of eligible poor.