Tura, Sept 9: Silent ration cards and duplicate beneficiaries under the NFSA will be subject to a new auto-deactivation mechanism from October 1, following the introduction of a nationwide system through the SMART-PDS portal by the Centre.
The Deputy Director of Supply, West Garo Hills, has informed all NFSA (PHH/AAY) card holders and beneficiaries under Tura Sadar Division about the new mechanism.
Under the system, ration cards with no successful ration-lifting transaction for six consecutive months will be identified as “silent ration cards” on the 21st of every month. Such cards will then be deactivated from the first day of the following month.
The system, however, provides a 90-day window before permanent deletion. During this period, affected beneficiaries can complete their e-KYC and submit necessary claims following verification.
Duplicate beneficiaries detected through Aadhaar-based cross-matching with the Central Repository will also be processed for deactivation as per the prescribed procedure. SMS alerts will be sent to registered Heads of Family (HOFs), wherever applicable.
All cardholders have been advised to ensure that beneficiary Aadhaar details are correctly mapped with their ration cards, complete their e-KYC and regularly lift their entitled foodgrains from Fair Price Shops through biometric e-PoS authentication.
Beneficiaries whose ration cards are deactivated, or whose names are affected by the process, can approach the Deputy Director of Supply, West Garo Hills, for verification and necessary assistance.
Beneficiaries have been urged to complete the required verification within the stipulated period to avoid their eligible ration cards or names being permanently deleted.
