Over 5k Delhi govt staff got 'illegal' ration cards

Illicit ration enrolment in govt ranks

- Alok KN Mishra

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has found that more than 5,600 of its employees are wrongfully registered as beneficiaries for free and subsidised ration under the Public Distribution System (PDS), a scheme only meant for households whose annual income is less than ₹1 lakh, according to officials aware of the matter.

Action has now been ordered against these employees, the officials said.

The employees are from various departments of the Delhi government such as food and civil supplies, and revenue, and are being paid salaries by the Delhi government.

The alleged misconduct came to the notice of the government only in April during an analysis of records by the IT department to create a unified data hub.

Most of these government employees belong to Group D, said an official in IT department aware of the matter, asking not to be named.

Group D employees refer to the lowest category of government workers in terms of rank and pay scale.

However, officials said that for how long these employees have been registered under the scheme, and whether they were availing the benefits is not known. An internal inquiry has been initiated to uncover these details, they said.

A food department official said government employees cannot get ration cards made under NFS Act 2013, in Delhi.