72.2 per cent of Tripura residents complete e-KYC for PVC ration cards: Minister

Around 72.2 per cent of the population in Tripura have completed their e-KYC through fair price shops for PVC ration cards, replacing the old paper-based family ration cards, Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Minister Sushanta Chowdhury informed on March 26. 

He also said that action has been taken against 18 fair price shops due to alleged inconsistencies.  

The minister provided this information while responding to questions from CPIM and Congress MLAs Nayan Sarkar and Sudip Roy Barman on digital ration card distribution on the fourth day of the Tripura Legislative Assembly session.

“The state government has decided to replace the old paper-based family ration cards with PVC ration cards. However, we have not initiated the distribution of digital ration cards; instead, we are replacing old ration cards with PVC cards. Without e-KYC, we cannot issue PVC cards, but in many families, while some members have completed e-KYC, others have not, which has delayed the process. The Central Government has set a deadline of March 31 to complete the e-KYC process. As of now, out of the 37 lakh ration cardholders, 26.89 lakh have completed e-KYC, which accounts for 72.2%. However, we are trying to extend the deadline for the benefit of the people,” said the minister.  

The minister further informed that the state government has decided to transform 600 fair price shops, run by dealers and cooperative societies, into model fair price shops.  

Additionally, from January 2024 to February 2025, a total of 5,833 ration shops were inspected based on reports from various subdivisions. Due to inconsistencies found in their operations, the dealership licenses of four ration dealers have been temporarily suspended, while the dealership licenses of 14 ration dealers have been cancelled.