Bhubaneswar, Dec. 3 -- The Odisha government has extended the deadline for the ongoing E-KYC verification process for ration cardholders until December 31, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra informed the State Assembly in a written reply on Wednesday.

The decision aims to provide additional time for beneficiaries who are yet to complete the mandatory procedure. According to the Minister, the verification exercise has brought significant irregularities to light.

During the E-KYC drive, authorities identified 6,83,995 deceased persons whose names were still registered as active beneficiaries under the Public Distribution System (PDS). This discovery highlights the extent of misuse and fraudulent claims withi...