PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The Dehradun district administration has cancelled 10,000 counterfeit Ayushman cards and 3,600 ration cards as part of its ongoing verification campaign. The Dehradun district magistrate Savin Bansal directed officials to complete 100 per cent verification of both ration and Ayushman cards without delay. He said that only eligible beneficiaries should receive government benefits and any disruption in the delivery of ration, funds or welfare schemes will not be tolerated.
During a review meeting on Thursday, the DM instructed the district supply officer and chief medical officer to ensure that ineligible beneficiaries are removed and eligible ones are issued valid cards quickly. Strict action has been taken against officials showing negligence. The DM ordered the withholding of salaries of respective food inspectors, assistant rationing officers and assistant development officers of Panchayat responsible for slow verification in several areas, including Clement Town, Sahaspur, Vikasnagar, Rishikesh, Doiwala, Tyuni and Kalsi.
Bansal informed that the administration has set a target to complete 60 per cent of the verification process by October 30. Failure to meet the deadline will lead to continued salary suspension and adverse entries in service records. Officials have been told to verify deaths among ration cardholders and update records to ensure that benefits go only to eligible families, he added. The DSO informed the DM in the meeting that Dehradun has a total of 3.83 lakh ration cardholders, of which 1.56 lakh have been verified so far. This represents 40.91 percent completion. Verification progress remains low in several blocks, with Tyuni recording the slowest pace at 8.62 per cent.
The CMO reported that verification of 1,26,960 Ayushman cardholders is in progress. The administration had earlier filed an FIR under serious charges against a gang involved in making fake cards.
