Ludhiana, Nov. 20 -- Amid the ongoing eKYC drive aimed at weeding out ineligible beneficiaries of subsidised foodgrains, ration depot holders across Ludhiana have raised alarm over the sustainability of their outlets, calling for a revision in the number of beneficiaries allocated to them.

Dealers say the eKYC process has sharply reduced the number of registered beneficiaries at several depots, leaving some outlets serving far fewer families than before. They further pointed out that this decline has directly cut into their margins, making it difficult to cover fixed operational costs, while depots with higher beneficiary counts continue to earn reasonable profits.

Under the National Food Security Act, ration depot holders are responsib...