Voluntary transferof priority ration cards allowed till December 8
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The Civil Supplies department has announced that individuals holding priority ration cards (Yellow and Pink cards) despite being ineligible can voluntarily transfer them to the general category without facing fines or legal action until December 8.
According to officials, strict inspections will follow the deadline, and those found holding priority cards unlawfully will be penalised with the market price of all subsidised food grains received to date.
The directive primarily targets individuals whose financial status or living standards have improved. Those required to surrender their cards include government and semi-government employees, teachers, employees of public sector or cooperative institutions, service pensioners, and income taxpayers.
The rule also applies to families with a monthly income exceeding βΉ25,000, those with a member working abroad or in a private sector job earning over βΉ25,000 a month, individuals owning more than one acre of land, owners of houses or flats measuring more than 1,000 square feet, and owners of four-wheeler vehicles.
At the same time, certain categories have been granted relaxations, including part-time and temporary employees, pensioners who retired from Class IV positions, individuals receiving a monthly pension below βΉ5,000, and freedom fighters receiving a pension below 10,000. Exemptions are also extended to Scheduled Tribe families owning more than one acre of land and four-wheeler owners who rely on their vehicles as their sole means of livelihood.
Cardholders wishing to switch categories must submit an application at their respective taluk supply offices, along with the original ration card, Aadhaar card of the head of the family, and the prescribed application form. The authorities noted that instead of completely cancelling ineligible cards, they are being shifted from the priority list to the general category, a move designed to ensure that genuine, economically backward families currently left out of the priority list receive their rightful benefits.
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