Karnataka has extended the deadline for completing ration-card e-KYC to October 20 after server problems caused inconvenience to beneficiaries at fair-price shops across the state, Food Minister Rizwan Arshad said.
The earlier order required ration-card holders to complete the e-KYC process by the end of September. The extension has been announced to protect access to food security for poor households, daily-wage workers and other members of the public, while also addressing operational shortcomings in the system, according to the minister.
“According to the previous order, e-KYC was to be completed by the end of September. The government has taken note of the inconvenience caused to the public due to server problems. Therefore, the deadline has been extended,” Arshad said, according to Prajavani.
The department has also ordered all fair-price shops in Karnataka to operate for fixed hours from October 1. Shops must remain open from 7 am to noon and again from 4 pm to 8 pm, the minister said.
The revised hours are intended to make it easier for ration beneficiaries to access services without losing a full day’s wages. The minister said the government would not accept a situation in which workers had to give up an entire day of employment to collect ration supplies.
Fair-price shops have been instructed to function according to the convenience of ration-card holders. Shops that remain closed during the prescribed hours and cause inconvenience to the public will face disciplinary action, Arshad warned.
The extension places responsibility on both the department’s digital systems and its network of fair-price shops. Beneficiaries now have additional time to complete the e-KYC process, while shop operators are required to provide access during the newly specified morning and evening windows.
The department’s order takes effect from October 1 for the revised operating hours, while the extended deadline for ration-card e-KYC runs until October 20.
