Data errors in family IDs wipe out BPL benefits for hundreds in Sirsa

Hundreds of poor families in Sirsa district have been stripped of their Below Poverty Line (BPL) status due to errors in the update of their Parivar Pehchan Patra (family ID) records. As a result, many deserving families are no longer receiving government benefits, including subsidised ration.

Sharp drop in BPL families

January’25: 2.92 lakh BPL cardholders

June’25: 2.58 lakh beneficiaries

Reduction: Over 34,000 dropped from list

Common errors reported

– Ownership of vehicles wrongly added

– Land or property linked mistakenly

– Duplicate names leading to mismatched data

– Genuine poor families excluded, while affluent ones remain

In the past five months, more than 34,000 BPL cards have been cancelled in the district. Official data shows the number of active ration cardholders fell sharply from 2.92 lakh in May to 2.58 lakh in June. The state’s Citizen Resources Information Department (CRID), which now manages the BPL eligibility system, is relying on automated data points such as income tax records, vehicle ownership and property transactions.

However, many families say the digital system has incorrectly marked them as ineligible.

“My ID says I own three vehicles, but I only have a bicycle,” said Mahaveer Prasad, a temple priest in Sirsa. “I’ve visited government offices multiple times, but no one is helping.”

Anil Kumar Sen, a barber, shared a similar story. “They’ve linked someone else’s vehicle to my name. I depended on the ration support — it made a big difference in today’s inflation,” he said.

Manoj Kumar, a vegetable vendor, also lost his BPL benefits after his family ID falsely listed him as the owner of three cars. “It’s clearly a case of mismatched data,” he said.

In Sikanderpur village, Raghuveer Singh was shocked to learn that his ID reflects ownership of a large urban plot in Sirsa city — which he says he doesn’t own. His son, a daily-wage painter, said they filed a complaint via CM Window and even got a call from the ADC’s office, but the issue remains unresolved.

An elderly widow waiting at a Common Service Centre (CSC) revealed that her ID shows property ownership in Chandigarh. “This is like salt on our wounds,” she said. Another elderly villager complained that while genuine poor families are being removed, “rich landlords in our village still receive BPL benefits.”

A CSC operator on Kanganpur Road reported that 70–80% of visitors are facing similar issues — mostly wrong vehicle or property entries leading to loss of benefits.

District Food Supply Controller Mukesh Kumar confirmed the shift in process: “Earlier, the Food Supply Department managed BPL cards, but now the CRID handles this entirely. The drop from 2.92 lakh to 2.58 lakh beneficiaries is based on CRID’s monthly data assessments.”

Virender Sehrawat, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) and Nodal Officer for CRID in Sirsa, acknowledged receiving numerous complaints. “There are genuine cases where vehicles or properties have been wrongly added to PPP IDs,” he said.

He cited a case from Beharwala village in Ellenabad, where a man named Mahender Kumar was incorrectly linked with a car owned by someone else with the same name in a nearby village.

“Our research wing is investigating such issues. At the same time, we are identifying cases where people are misusing the system — like using unregistered vehicles on affidavits while claiming BPL benefits. The aim is to ensure only eligible people get the aid,” he said.

Haryana Tribune