Ration Dealers Seek State Action Over Digital Card Issues Affecting Beneficiaries

MP, July 20, 2026, Kolkata: Alleging that flaws in West Bengal’s digital ration card database are depriving genuine beneficiaries of subsidised foodgrains, the All India Fair Price Shop Dealers Federation has reportedly written to the state Food and Supplies Department seeking immediate corrective measures.

In a letter sent by its national general secretary, the federation claimed that outdated household records have resulted in large numbers of economically weaker beneficiaries losing access to ration benefits, leaving fair price shop dealers to face growing public resentment.

According to the federation, the problem dates back to the creation of the digital ration card database several years ago, when most beneficiaries were registered as members of joint families.

Over time, many of these households have split into separate nuclear families, although official records continue to treat them as a single family unit.

The organisation alleged that the process for household division has remained either suspended or severely restricted for a prolonged period.

As a result, beneficiaries are unable to separate their digital ration cards through Form 14 or the online household division facility.

The federation further claimed that the automated verification system assesses the entire joint family as a single financial unit.

Consequently, when the ration card of a financially well-off member is cancelled, the cards of other eligible but economically disadvantaged members linked to the same profile are also cancelled, pushing genuine beneficiaries outside the food security net.

The federation urged the department to restore both online and offline household division facilities, halt the cancellation of joint profiles in such cases and reinstate ration cards that were allegedly cancelled due to database errors.