New Delhi, Dec. 2 -- The Odisha government has intensified efforts to weed out ineligible beneficiaries from the Public Distribution System (PDS) through a state-wide e-KYC verification drive.

Odisha Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra said that the initiative was launched after the BJP came to power 17 months ago, aiming to ensure transparency in ration distribution.

Under the exercise, over 6.95 lakh ghost ration cards, belonging to deceased beneficiaries, have been identified and cancelled.

The national mandate of e-KYC verification, which began in August 2024, has been extended several times due to challenges such as poor internet connectivity in remote regions.

Odisha has a total of 3.28 crore benefi...