Overview

• Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann escalated the row, alleging a plan to stop free rations for 55 lakh people and claiming a Centre report seeks deletion of 8,02,493 ration cards.
• Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi said the Centre has not removed any names from Punjab’s approved 1.41 crore NFSA beneficiaries and asked the state to verify entries and update rolls.
• The Centre shared cross-matched data from tax, corporate and vehicle registries and reported more than 10 lakh doubtful cases nationally, urging field verification and cleanup by states.
• Reporting cites a September 30 timeline communicated for removing ineligible names after verification, while Punjab has requested six more months to complete its checks.
• Figures and responsibility remain contested, with Punjab citing 1.53 crore beneficiaries, the Centre maintaining 1.41 crore, BJP leaders accusing Mann of misleading the public, and AAP alleging 23 lakh people already lost rations over eKYC issues.