Lucknow, Oct 9 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh Food and Civil Supplies Department on Friday dismissed social media reports claiming that ration beneficiaries must purchase a new mobile phone to receive free foodgrains, calling the information misleading.
In a clarification issued by Additional Commissioner Satyadev, the department said the ration distribution rules had not changed and urged beneficiaries not to believe the rumours.
Ration distribution continues through electronic Point of Sale (e-PoS) machines linked to electronic weighing scales. If fingerprint authentication fails, beneficiaries can make two additional attempts, followed by iris scanning. Another family member listed on the ration card can also collect the foodgrains after verification.
The department said OTP-based verification has been in place since 2017 under the National Food Security Act and is available as an alternative for extremely elderly persons, persons with disabilities and those suffering from serious illnesses who cannot complete biometric or iris authentication.
Of the more than 3.41 crore ration cards in the state, OTP-based distribution has been used for only 83,093 cards, the department said, reiterating that purchasing a new mobile phone is not mandatory to receive free ration. PTI CDN ASD
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