Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency: Many names have been excluded during the SIR process; however, this will not result in the suspension of ration supplies or government benefits. State Food Minister Ashok Kirtania offered this assurance on Saturday. He stated that access to these benefits would be granted simply by applying under the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act). He urged everyone not to be anxious and conveyed a message of solidarity, assuring the public that they need not harbor any apprehensions.
Issuing a stern warning on Saturday, the Food Minister further declared that the government would dismantle the "nests of corruption" that have taken root within the Food Department. The department, he vowed, would be made corruption-free. Priority will be given to identifying individuals who have entered India illegally and subsequently obtained ration cards. The illicit networks responsible for the fraudulent creation of these cards will be tracked down and dismantled. Many individuals have been utilizing ration cards—obtained by submitting Form 10—as a primary form of identity proof; this practice will no longer be permitted. Action will also be initiated against those found to be involved in such activities.
Additionally, the Food Minister made several pledges specifically for the residents of Bongaon. He gave an assurance that Bongaon would be transformed into a "Golden Bongaon." He asserted that no local political functionary involved in corrupt practices would be spared; strict action would be taken against all such individuals. Furthermore, he issued a warning to corrupt businesspersons, indicating that rigorous measures would be taken against them as well. However, the Minister's most significant announcement of the day was that no one would be deprived of ration supplies or government benefits simply because their name was excluded from the SIR list; they would merely need to apply for citizenship through the CAA.