OUR BUREAU Linking ration cards with Aadhaar number has helped the government unearth 2.62 crore bogus ration cards across the country and plug ₹17,000 crore in leakages annually, according to Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan.

The Aadhaar linkage has helped spot duplicate ration cards that were fetching foodgrains at highly subsidised prices. This ₹17,000-crore savings will now be directed at the real beneficiaries, he said after a review meeting with Food Corporation of India officials here on Monday.

Under the National Food Securities Act (NFSA), foodgrains are distributed through State governments at reduced rates. Rice and wheat are offered at the rate of ₹2 and ₹3 respectively. But the Tamil Nadu government is providing these grains for free.

Paddy procurement

Meanwhile, the procurement of paddy in Tamil Nadu started from October 1, 2017 and will continue till June this year. For this,886 purchase centres have been set up across the State by the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation, Paswan said.

Earlier, he said the Centre is committed to protecting the rights of SC/ST people and will bring an ordinance if the Supreme Court doesn’t change its ruling to dilute the SC/ST Act.

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