Govt salary and subsidised ration: 1.82 lakh railway employees flagged as potential beneficiaries, Railway Board orders checks | Lucknow News

1.82 lakh railway employees flagged as potential ration card beneficiaries (Representative image)

LUCKNOW: A railway job comes with a government salary, but some employees may also be eligible for subsidised ration, at least according to preliminary data.As many as 1,82,283 serving railway employees across the country have emerged as potential matches with ration card holders under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), prompting the Railway Board to order verification and advise ineligible employees to surrender their ration cards.In a communication dated November 11, the Railway Board said the Department of Food and Public Distribution, under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, had identified these employees during a nationwide exercise aimed at ensuring that NFSA benefits reach eligible beneficiaries.The Board pointed out that under the exclusion criteria notified by most state governments and Union Territory administrations, employees of government departments, public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies and local authorities are ineligible for NFSA benefits, either because of their employment status or income tax liability arising from such employment.The communication, issued by deputy director (Establishment) S K Roy, asked all zonal railways and production units to sensitise employees against availing themselves of benefits or subsidies under NFSA, as they fall under the exclusion criteria.Employees have also been advised to surrender ration cards issued under the scheme if they are found to be ineligible.The Board further directed railway administrations to conduct sample checks to ascertain whether the identified employees had actually availed themselves of subsidised foodgrain benefits.In cases where employees have not availed themselves of such benefits, railway authorities may obtain declarations confirming the same.The directions follow a September 24 communication from the Department of Food and Public Distribution, which shared the findings of the exercise undertaken to identify potentially ineligible NFSA beneficiaries.However, the Board’s communication does not establish that all 1.82 lakh employees have actually received subsidised foodgrains. The figure represents potential matches requiring verification.“The exercise is intended to identify ineligible beneficiaries and ensure that subsidised foodgrains meant for economically vulnerable households are not diverted to those excluded under applicable eligibility rules,” an official source said.