Ineligible persons can voluntarily change priority ration cards by December 8

The Civil Supplies Department has announced that persons who hold priority ration cards (yellow and pink cards) despite being ineligible can voluntarily transfer their cards to the general category by December 8 without fear of any penalty or legal action. According to a report by The Hindu, after this deadline, a strict investigation will be conducted, and those found to be illegally holding priority cards will have to pay the market price of all subsidized grains received so far as a penalty.

This directive is primarily aimed at individuals whose economic condition or standard of living has improved. Those who must surrender their cards include government and semi-government employees, teachers, employees of public sector or cooperative institutions, service pensioners, and income tax payers.

This rule also applies to families whose monthly income is more than ₹25,000, or families where any member works abroad or is employed in the private sector with a monthly income exceeding ₹25,000. Additionally, persons owning more than one acre of land, owners of houses or flats larger than 1,000 square feet, and owners of four-wheeler vehicles must also change their cards.

However, certain categories have been exempted from this rule. These include part-time and temporary employees, pensioners retired from Class IV posts, persons receiving a monthly pension of less than ₹5,000, and freedom fighters receiving a pension of less than ₹10,000. Along with this, Scheduled Tribe families owning more than one acre of land and four-wheeler owners for whom the vehicle is the sole means of livelihood have also been granted exemption.

Cardholders wishing to change their category must submit an application to their respective taluka supply office. It is mandatory to attach the original ration card, the Aadhaar card of the head of the family, and the prescribed application form with this application.

Authorities noted that instead of completely cancelling ineligible cards, they are being moved from the priority list to the general category. The aim of this step is to ensure that genuine and economically backward families who are currently left out of the priority list receive the benefits they are entitled to.