Assam government to rationalise ration cards, add another five lakh card holders

Assam government will rationalize ration cards and will add another five lakh card holders.

The government has asked undeserving people to voluntarily give up the card and plans to allocate the same to deserving people.

Assam has 58 lakh ration card holders. Assam’s minister Food and Civil Supplies Ranjeet Kumar Dass said, “We have seen several people whose annual income is over one lakh are holding ration cards and denying the genuine poor people. We are issuing an appeal to such people to voluntarily give up. The circle officers are asked to check such cases and we will add another five lakh new hard holders shortly.”


He said, “In this time of COVID-19 pandemic such people whose annual income is less than one lakh really requires assistance from the public distribution system.”

With ration card holders avail items under a public distribution system.


Dass who is also minister for Panchayat and Rural Development (P&RD) said that COVID-19 outbreak in the state is still predominantly an urban phenomenon and urban areas are reporting a large number of COVID-19 positive cases. However, a gradual ingress is now being seen in rural areas as well.

He said that Assam has a total 2,197 number of of Gaon Panchayats (GP) and 479

Village Council Development Committees (VCDC)/Village Development Committees (VDCs)under the Sixth Scheduled districts. To curb the spread of COVID-19 in the rural areas, the Gaon Panchayats and VCDCs/VDCs, which are the cutting-edge institutions, have been geared up to fight against COVID-19 in rural areas. In every GP, a War Room has been set up, which is acting as the nodal point to fight against COVID-19 in the GPs/VCDCs/VDCs. The Task Force has been constituted in the GP/VCDC/VDC. Sanitization activities in the rural areas have been undertaken by the GPs/VDCD/VDCs.

He added, “Regular report on the initiatives undertaken to fight with COVID-19 in the rural areas reflects that presently there are 304 number of GPs/VCDCs/VDCs which are COVID-19 free. Out of these 173 are Gaon Panchayats and 131 are VCDCs/VDCs. I am very much hopeful that with active participation and cooperation of everyone we will be able to declare entire rural areas of Assam as COVID free in near future”.