Of the over 3 lakh bogus white ration cards detected so far across the state, nearly one lakh were surrendered by government employees, it is learnt.
It was found that employees got these bogus cards to avail free medical treatment in private hospitals under the government's Aarogyasri scheme.
These bogus cards are being surrendered in large numbers every day after the government recently announced a new policy of providing “health cards” to all its employees from November 1 for free treatment at private hospitals. But with a rider: Minister for civil supplies D. Sridhar Babu said the employees will have to give an undertaking to get the new health cards, stating that they do not hold white ration cards and are liable to face criminal cases if found possessing such bogus cards.
“The menace of bogus ration cards is more in urban areas (but) employees are surrendering such cards voluntarily after the recent announcement of new health cards for all government employees from November 1,” Mr Sridhar Babu said.
He said vigilance department officials estimate there are nearly 20 lakh bogus ration cards in the state and the government will give time to both its employees and PDS dealers to surrender them voluntarily.
“Vigilance teams will make extensive raids in ration shops from October to December to weed out bogus cards. While individuals found holding such cards thereafter will have to face criminal cases, officials involved in issuing bogus cards will also be not spared,” he warned.
Mr Sridhar Babu said the government gives a subsidy of Rs 300 on each white ration card every month, and according to estimates the government will save Rs 108 crore annually with the cards surrendered so far. If all the estimated 20 lakh bogus cards are weeded out, the state would save a whopping Rs 750 crore each year, he added.
As per the department’s records, there are 2.29 crore ration card holders in the state — including 2 crore white card holders and 29 lakh pink card holders — while the state’s population as per 2011 Census is 8 crore.
With another one crore people having applied for fresh ration cards, this takes the number of beneficiaries past the total population, given each card covers a family of approximately four.