New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Moti Nagar Harish Khurana on Tuesday alleged that nearly 4.78 lakh fake ration cards were issued in Delhi under the Aam Aadmi Party government and that around 16 lakh beneficiaries were found to be illegal, citing findings from a recent review of the distribution system.
Addressing a press conference at the Delhi Secretariat, Khurana said that between 2015 and 2024, during the AAP government’s tenure, a total of 9,22,766 ration card applications were submitted. He alleged that ration cards were issued without proper verification and were based largely on self-declaration.
He said that after the formation of the Rekha Gupta-led government, a review of the ration card issuance process identified 2.02 lakh ration cards with irregularities. These included 6,038 cards issued in the names of deceased persons and duplicate cards in the names of 16,000 individuals.
High income people also got ration cards
Khurana further claimed that more than 1.44 lakh ration cards were issued to people with annual incomes exceeding Rs 6 lakh, even though ration cards are meant for economically weaker sections. He also alleged that show-cause notices were issued to 2.76 lakh ration card holders who were company directors, of whom 227 have responded so far.
According to Khurana, 1.59 lakh card holders owned land measuring 100, 200 or 500 square yards, making them ineligible for benefits meant for the poor. He also alleged that 77,000 ration card holders owned cars or other vehicles.
He said that under National Food Security rules, the government formed a committee headed by the district magistrate to verify beneficiaries and that 76,000 beneficiaries have already been verified. Khurana added that no Fair Price Shop (FPS) has been shut down in Delhi, rejecting what he described as false claims.
‘Ration cards issued without ground verification’
Some “unemployed leaders” were trying to set a fake narrative, Khurana said, adding that people of Delhi knew how ration cards were issued during the period. He also questioned how many Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals were issued ration cards over the past decade.
“The scam did not happen today; it happened during their tenure,” Khurana said, alleging that ration cards were issued without ground verification under the previous government. “Today, I am placing those facts and figures before you.”
He said he would write to the chief minister seeking a white paper on ration distribution carried out over the past 10 years.