Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: More than 400 families in Goa have voluntarily surrendered their ration cards over the past 45 days after their annual income crossed the prescribed eligibility limits.
According to Civil Supplies Department officials, 246 cards were surrendered in North Goa and 141 in South Goa, with the majority belonging to the poorest categories under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Nearly 89% of the surrendered cards were NFSA and BPL, while only 10% belonged to the APL category.
During the same period, around 100 new APL ration cards were issued, mainly to families who had previously given up their NFSA or BPL cards. Official records show that Goa currently has 2.62 lakh active ration cards, including 1.24 lakh under Priority Household (PHH) and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) schemes, and 1.37 lakh APL cards.
Officials noted a significant rise in surrendered cards during July–August, with 387 NFSA and 44 APL cards given up. Of these, 103 families reapplied and received new APL cards, all in North Goa.
The surge in surrenders comes after revised rules made digital KYC compliance mandatory, allowing authorities to verify eligibility more effectively. Under the updated regulations, families from SC/ST communities earning above ₹50,000–₹1 lakh must surrender their NFSA cards, and will be reclassified under BPL or APL categories based on their annual income.
