Bengal's food and supplies department on Thursday ordered a statewide verification exercise to identify and delete "ineligible" beneficiaries from the Public Distribution System (PDS), linking the process to the outcome of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The decision comes amid the Suvendu Adhikari government's broader drive to weed out fake and non-Indian beneficiaries from government welfare schemes like Annapurna Bhandar.
According to an official order, the exercise will cover ration card holders whose names were deleted or found ineligible during the electoral roll revision process and is scheduled to be completed by June 15.
The order said the department had decided to undertake "verification and deletion of those PDS beneficiaries who have been found ineligible" following the completion of the SIR and publication of the final electoral rolls by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal.
Officials said the categories under scrutiny include persons marked as absentee, shifted, dead or duplicate (ASDD) electors, individuals whose applications were rejected during the SIR process, those deleted after adjudication, and electors identified as ASDD during the distribution of Voter Information Slips ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
However, the department clarified that beneficiaries who have filed appeals before the SIR Tribunal or have submitted applications under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) would continue to remain active in the ration card database until the disposal of their appeals or applications.
"Beneficiaries who have filed an appeal before the SIR tribunal or submitted an application under CAA may continue to remain active till disposal of the appeal/application," the order stated.
To facilitate the exercise, an online module has been created in the departmental portal for verification and deletion of such beneficiaries from the Ration Card Management System (RCMS) database.
Under the procedure laid down in the order, Area Inspectors will obtain booth-wise lists of deleted electors from Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Assistant EROs, or the CEO's portal and verify whether the concerned beneficiary was deleted during the SIR process or has filed an appeal before the tribunal.
In cases where a beneficiary claims to have filed an appeal or submitted an application under the CAA, the Area Inspector has been directed to upload documentary proof on the portal and keep the ration card active pending a final decision.
The order further stated that if a beneficiary fails to furnish documentary evidence supporting such claims, the digital ration card record would be marked for cancellation by the verifier.
"Upon receipt of such recommendations through the portal, the DRC Issuing Authority... shall examine the findings and take appropriate action regarding cancellation or continuation of the concerned ration card," it said.
District-level food officials have been asked to monitor the exercise daily and submit progress reports to district magistrates and the department's directorate.
Senior departmental authorities have also been directed to supervise and coordinate the verification process across the state.