West Bengal deactivates 11.12 lakh ration cards since April 1

The West Bengal Directorate of Rationing has deactivated a total of 11.12 lakh ration cards since the beginning of the current financial year, from April 1.

Insiders from the State Food and Supplies Department claim that although officially the figure of deactivated ration or public distribution system (PDS) cards was shown since April 2026, the actual deactivation process began in the state in full force from June, after the new state government took charge.

It is learnt that the list of voters whose names were deleted in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, including dead, duplicate and shifted voters, helped in



the process of deactivation of ration cards. 

However, the State Food and Supplies Department officials added, considering the sensitivity and legal process still associated with the exercise, the around 11.12 lakh ration cards that have been deactivated so far are mainly those of deceased voters.

He added that the cards of many other voters shown as deceased in the SIR are yet to be completed, as the rationing officers are cross-checking the data on deceased voters before finally recommending their ration cards for deactivation. “That is why the deactivation process had been a bit slow,” the department official said.