Minister Lal Chand : The e-KYC drive is gaining steady momentum, with the process completed so far for 1.27 crore beneficiaries. Mansa, Sri Fatehgarh Sahib, and Patiala lead as the top three districts in completion rates.
During a review meeting at Anaj Bhawan, Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak was briefed by senior officials on the latest progress of the e-KYC process. e-KYC is a digital method of verifying beneficiaries’ identity and address using Aadhaar numbers and biometric authentication. Under the Public Distribution System (PDS), wheat is distributed in two categories — Antyodaya Ann Yojna (AAY) provides 35 kg per family per month, and Priority Households (PHH) receive 5 kg per person per month free of cost under the National Food Security Act, 2013.
Reviewing preparations for the 2025–26 paddy procurement season, the Minister was informed that PUNGRAIN, the nodal agency for tarpaulin procurement, has floated an e-tender for 47,500 LDPE polythene tarpaulins, in addition to 95,000 tarpaulins already in stock from last year.
Minister Lal Chand also assessed the progress of constructing 46 LMT covered godowns sanctioned by the Government of India. Instructions were given to expedite the completion of 3.75 Lakh MT capacity godowns for which Letters of Award have been issued, finalize the allocation of 9.55 LMT capacity godowns at the earliest, and complete tendering for the remaining 32.70 LMT capacity. These steps aim to maximize storage space for rice during the upcoming procurement season.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary Rahul Tiwari, Director Varinder Kumar Sharma, Additional Secretary PUNGRAIN Kamal Kumar Garg, Additional Director Dr. Anjuman Bhaskar, and GM (Finance) Sarvesh Kumar Sharma.