Bhubaneswar, Oct 14: Odisha's Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister, Krushna Chandra Patra, has announced a major update regarding the eKYC process for ration cardholders.

Talking to the media persons, the Minister stated that those who have not completed their eKYC will no longer be eligible to receive free rice under government schemes starting next month.

The minister stated, “Beneficiaries who fail to complete eKYC will be excluded from receiving rice. The central government has discontinued the eKYC process, leaving no further time for completion. Despite this, the state is still distributing rice to those who have not completed it.”

He added that if the central government extends the deadline, the state government will follow suit. Individuals who missed the process due to valid reasons may submit written applications for reconsideration, said the Minister.

He further stated that around 15.67 lakh beneficiaries in Odisha have yet to complete the eKYC.

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Currently, 97.40 lakh families, comprising 3.25 crore people, are receiving free food grains under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana and the State Food Security Scheme.

During ongoing verification, 30,125 ineligible beneficiaries and 6.38 lakh deceased individuals have been removed from the database, creating space for new eligible applicants. So far, 2.05 lakh new families (around 3.87 lakh individuals) have been added to the food security scheme.