Five lakh families vanished after Madhya Pradesh enforces Smart PDS verification

Bhopal: The rollout of the Smart Public Distribution System (Smart PDS) in Madhya Pradesh has led to nearly five lakh families being marked ineligible after they failed to comply with mandatory KYC verification norms. The development has emerged following a large-scale data verification drive aimed at streamlining the state’s free ration scheme.

Over the past 10 months, around 25 lakh new families had applied to be included under the Public Distribution System (PDS). However, once the government made Aadhaar, bank account, Samagra ID and mobile number verification compulsory, nearly 5,00,000 families did not submit the required documents or respond to official notices. The Food Department has treated these cases as doubtful or ineligible claims.

According to official figures, about 1.28 crore families across Madhya Pradesh receive ration under 28 different PDS categories, benefiting nearly 5.23 crore individuals. With the implementation of Smart PDS, all beneficiary data has been linked to a centralised server, and e-KYC has been made mandatory to eliminate duplication and bogus entries.

Food Department officials said the exercise has exposed multiple irregularities. In several cases, ration cards were reportedly issued in the name of the same individual in different locations. Authorities also found names of deceased persons still active in the system, while some beneficiaries continued to avail free ration despite exceeding income eligibility limits.

In Bhopal alone, which has a population of around 23.68 lakh, nearly 3.03 lakh families are covered under the scheme, accounting for approximately 13.50 lakh beneficiaries. The capital distributes free ration worth nearly ₹12 crore every month.

Officials estimate that in urban areas, more than 50 percent of beneficiaries may not fully meet eligibility criteria. Cross-verification with income records, property details and other government welfare databases has revealed discrepancies, prompting renewed scrutiny of urban ration cardholders.

The state government has clarified that the objective of the strict verification drive is not to exclude genuine beneficiaries but to ensure that subsidies reach only deserving families. In cases where irregularities are detected, notices are issued and applicants are given an opportunity to present supporting documents.

Authorities believe that removing ineligible names will save crores of rupees annually and make the ration distribution system more transparent and efficient.