Guwahati, Oct. 1 -- The Meghalaya government will introduce an automated system from October 1, 2026, to identify and deactivate "silent ration cards" and detect duplicate beneficiaries under the SMART-PDS system, officials said.

The initiative is being implemented by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to streamline the Public Distribution System (PDS) and ensure that benefits under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) reach eligible beneficiaries.

According to the Deputy Commissioner (Supply), West Jaintia Hills, the PDS portal will automatically identify "silent ration cards" on the 21st of every month. These refer to ration cards for which no successful ration-lifting transaction has been recorded continuously for six months or m...