The government is conducting a survey to weed out invalid card
holders. But some of them are only wondering where the ration shops are.
In an effort to weed out invalid and dormant ration card user, authorities have started a campaign asking citizens to renew their documents.
For most well-heeled Mumbaikars, a ration card only means a strong proof of identity and residence and little else. Many hardly know where their ration shop is or what they can get with it. The more generous ones allow their domestic help to draw rations on their cards.
Many residents of the city were surprised to see a notice signed by the chief controller of ration (CCR) on their society walls. This is being done by the ration shop-owners of their localities. Not all societies have been thus informed. But few can be bothered with the trouble of finding and filling up the requisite forms.
“I am the only one in my building to have got this form. Others said they are not interested,” said Chetan Kothari resident of Warden Road.
Entrepreneur Neeta Deshpande says she would not have heard of the scheme had a friend not texted her. “Nobody in our building seems to know where the local ration shop is located. I have to contact an old house help to locate it. The government could have made the form available over the Internet,” said Neeta Deshpande, an entrepreneur.
The chief controller of ration authority says the idea is to weed out negligible and invalid card holders. Those who want to transfer their cards, change names and other details on their cards can do so later. Says chief controller Yeshwant Kerure: “Citizens will be divided into three categories A, B and C. The ones who possess a live card with all the necessary evidence will be put into A category. Those who lack valid evidence will put into B category. Those who don't fill their forms or fulfil this responsibility will be put into C category: if they don't comply within a month, their cards will get cancelled."
The jurisdiction of the Mumbai rationing authority extends from Colaba and Churchgate to Badlapur, Bhyander, Navi Mumbai and CBD Belapur. Its union members have complained to the government and the CCR that they have only 1200 staff to cover the requirements of the entire region.
“We are catering to a population of 3 crore and 39,65,000 cardholders. There are over 600 vacancies. We had done an earlier survey too. What happened to the results? There are forms lying all around our offices,” said a ration officer requesting anonymity. (The 2005 scheme too was an initiative of the central government.)
But Kerure says that the previous exercise was not a complete washout. “I admit we do have 40% less staff but the last survey was not totally wasted,” said Kerure. “We cancelled 6,50,868 cards in 2005.”
The deadline for submission of the forms is December 31.
KEEP IN MIND1 Any member of the family can go and fetch the renewal form
2 The forms are available at ration shops, now they will be made available at the ration office too
3 They are free of cost
4 A picture of the head of the family in the ration card is required
5 Details are written in Marathi
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