Such is the impact of SIR and income verification campaign; 5.5 lakh names removed from ration card list

After a comprehensive review of ration cardholders under the National Food Security Scheme (NFSA) in Bihar, the state government, in a major action, has removed the names of about 5.5 lakh people from the ration card list. This step has been taken on the basis of voter data prepared during special intensive vetting and income and eligibility verification drive conducted by the Central Government.

According to state government data, there are a total of 1.79 crore ration card holders in Bihar. Of these, 8,19,888 cards were placed in suspect or reverifiable category during verification. After detailed investigation, it was recommended to cancel 5,57,278 ration cards, while 2,59,197 cardholders were retained in the list as eligible.

Bihar Food and Consumer Protection Minister Ashok Chaudhary said that about 97.56 percent work of this campaign has been completed. He said that this process is being carried out with the aim of ensuring that the benefits of government schemes reach the eligible beneficiaries and removing ineligible people from the list.

For what reasons were the names removed?

According to government officials, the main reasons for removal of names from the ration card list include death of beneficiaries, non-completion of mandatory KYC process, permanent migration and violation of income-related eligibility standards.

According to sources, data of people removed from the voter list was also used during SIR. During this process in Bihar, names of about 68 lakh voters were removed from the list due to various reasons. Most of these cases are said to be related to death, migration and double registration.

List of canceled beneficiaries released in the districts

Subdivision officers (SDMs) in all 38 districts of the state have been instructed to publicly display the list of people whose ration cards have been cancelled.

According to government sources, 32,360 names in Muzaffarpur, 32,626 in Patna, 17,439 in Araria and 11,931 in Bhagalpur have been removed from the list. The highest number of cancellations have been recorded in these districts.

A public distribution system (PDS) dealer in Banka district said names of 400 people out of about 3,000 beneficiaries in his area have been removed. He said that the affected persons can appeal before the Sub-Divisional Officer or Magistrate.

Government talking about ‘cleaning campaign’

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Bihar government has been talking about running a “purification campaign” or “cleaning drive” in various government schemes for some time now. The government claims that its aim is to deliver government benefits only to genuine and eligible people.

However, at present this campaign is mainly limited to ration card holders. Officials say that in future the process of eligibility verification can be adopted in other schemes also.

There will be coordination with other government databases

A senior official said that the data collected from door to door during ration card verification will also be linked with other government systems.

He said that if a person’s name is removed from the voter list due to death, long-term migration or other reasons, this information is shared with the Food and Consumer Protection Department so that the respective beneficiary records can be updated.

Shocking figures were revealed in the investigation of the center

It is noteworthy that in August 2025, cross-verification of about 20 crore ration card holders across the country was done by the Central Government. In this investigation, about 94.71 lakh income tax payers, 17.51 ​​lakh four-wheeler owners and 5.31 lakh company directors were found who were taking the benefit of the free food grain scheme.

Overall, about 1.17 crore people were identified whose eligibility was questioned. After this, states were instructed to remove ineligible beneficiaries from the list by doing ground level verification.

The scheme will continue for the poor

About 22.93 lakh families are covered under Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) in the ration card list in Bihar. These families are provided 35 kg of food grains every month.

The government says that removing ineligible people will allow food grains and other benefits to reach the genuinely poor and needy families more effectively. However, the opposition and some social organizations have demanded that the process of appeal and revision be simplified to ensure that the name of any eligible person is not removed by mistake.

Also read:

Hemant Soren condemned Abhishek Banerjee attack, demanded action!

An outspoken emotional personality…

Hurt by animal sacrifice on Bakrid, Bilal adopted Sanatan Dharma; Vedic rites performed in Shiva temple