Bengaluru, Aug 27 (DHNS): Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Dinesh Gundu Rao on Wednesday said ration cards issued prior to 2010 will have to be re-registered by September 5 failing which such cards would be kept under suspension.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Rao said that the Food and Civil Supplies department had made it mandatory to link ration cards with Aadhaar card numbers or election photo identity card (EPIC) numbers. However, despite repeated reminders as many as 1.25 lakh ration card holders, especially those whose cards had been issued prior to 2010, were yet to furnish their Aadhar or EPIC numbers.

“We will give them time till September 5. But if they fail to furnish the required details the cards would be suspended and allocation would be stopped”, Rao said.

The minister said that there had been positive response for the department’s move to send SMSes to ration card holders on details about their quota of food grains from fair price shops.

The department had sent 80 lakh SMSes to card holders in August, Rao said and added that the move had helped in in curbing diversion of food grains especially under the Anna Bhagya scheme.