By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, August 6, 2016: In a clear warning to those who have fraudulently availed ration cards under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) by providing false information, Odisha food and civil supplies minister Sanjay Dasburma on Saturday asked them to surrender their cards by September 30 to save themselves form punitive action.

“If they surrender their cards within the stipulated time, no amount would be recovered from them for the food commodities they have already availed nor will they face any criminal cases,” the minister said.

“Genuine beneficiaries will be provided with cards within a month. Those who have not applied in the first phase or whose applications were rejected can reapply to avail the scheme,” the minister told newsmen at press conference here. There is no deadline for fresh applications and prospective beneficiaries can apply for cards anytime, he added.

He said the government has changed the criterion for three-room pucca rooms. Houses availed under the Indira Awas Yojana, Pradhanmantri Awas Yojana and Biju Pucca Ghar have been excluded from the criterion, Dasburma pointed out.

“People having three-room houses under Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana (BPGY) are now eligible to apply for the ration cards. Earlier, the people having three-room pucca houses were denied NFSA coverage,” Dasburma said.