Kendrapara, July 4: For three years, as many as 1,276 “ghost” ration card holders have reaped the benefits of social security and livelihood support schemes like public distribution system in Kendrapara district.

The oft-repeated allegations that ration for the poor were being gobbled up have proved largely true as authorities here have struck off the “ghost” ration card holders living below poverty line (BPL) from the enumerated list of beneficiaries.

With charges of diversion of PDS ration flying thick and fast, the district administration has set in motion the drive to streamline the PDS network by striking down the undeserving beneficiaries from subsidised rice scheme.

“The drive to crosscheck the genuineness of ration cards is under way. Till date, 1,276 BPL cards have been found to be bogus. These cards were dropped from the subsidised Rs 2-a-kg scheme. Cases of cardholders who did not merit consideration for BPL ration benefits have also come under detection. These cases would scrutinized further before these cards are excluded from the list,” said Kendrapara collector Pradipta Kumar Pattnaik.

“Implementation of the Rs-2-a-kg rice scheme to BPL families stays on the top of our agenda. We are trying to plug all possible pilferage routes of the subsidised rice. The administration is intent on ensuring that not a grain of rice is diverted from PDS to the open market,” Pattnaik said.

“We have stopped disbursing PDS goods including rice at Rs 2-a-kg to 1,276 BPL ration card holders. The deletion was on the basis of an inquiry report,” said Shatrughna Dalai, the district civil supplies officer.

The administration has tightened its noose on bogus beneficiaries particularly in Rajnagar and Mahakalpada coastal tehsils. The circulation of ghost ration cards is apparently on a greater scale in these areas though rest of the district is also not free from PDS irregularities of this nature, said officials.