Tamil Nadu extends ration card’s validity

Chennai: The state government has decided to extend the present family card, set to exp­ire in 2013, by another year and keep it valid until 2014 as the proposed smart family cards would be delayed by a year.

Citing a delay in the collection of nationwide census data which has still not reached the authorities co­n­c­erned in the state, the government on Friday announced that smart fa­m­ily cards would be issued during the year 2014-15.

“Hence the family cards that will be expiring on Dec­ember 31, 2013, have be­en extended up to Dece­mber 31, 2014. As an additional page has already been added to the existing ration cards for the year 2014, the people are advised to use that portion of the family card to procure th­eir monthly rations,” a st­ate government release said.

Between June 2011 and November 2013, the state government has so far issued 8.56 lakh new family cards. During this period, the revenue officials also de­tected 2.40 lakh fake family cards which they have duly cancelled. The state gover­nment has also opened 368 full-time Public Dis­trib­ution System (PDS) shops and 719 PDS shops on a part-time basis.

New applicants have been issued their family cards within 60 days of their application reaching the department concerned following due inquiries, with the applicant meeting the eligibility criteria for a family card, the official release said.