Over a dozen Dalit families at a village in Purulia’s Jungle Mahal are not getting free ration as their cards are lying “mortgaged” with moneylenders from whom they had borrowed money.

Villagers, mostly daily labourers, at Sarjumatur in Jhalda sub-division traditionally “mortgage” their ration cards with moneylenders while borrowing. The practice has proved costly for them during the lockdown to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak. With their ration cards mortgaged, they hardly have food to survive the lockdown. Their plight has forced them to lodge a complaint with the authorities, urging them to step in to retrieve the cards.

“I had borrowed Rs 10,000 from moneylender Guna Kuyiri for my daughter’s marriage two months ago. As is the practice, I gave him two rations cards, including that of my husband, as mortgage for the loan,” said 50-year-old Radhika Kalindi.

She said her husband Gopal Kalindi, a day labourer at a brickfield in Jharkhand, is jobless because of the lockdown.

“My husband has no income because the brick kilns are now shut. We have no money to buy food and also cannot avail ourselves of free ration in the absence of the cards. I had requested the moneylender to return our cards for the time being but he refused,” Radhika said.

Kuyiri admitted to collecting cards against loans and promised to return them after the money is repaid.

“Moneylenders here mortgage ration cards to give loans. I have given loans worth Rs 32,000 to two families in the village and have four ration cards with me. I will return the cards after they repay the loans,” said Kuyiri.

Asked about the illegality of mortgaging ration cards for giving loans, Kuyiri said it was a common practice here. “I am not the only one, several others do the same thing,” he said.

Sarjumatur is one among half a dozen hamlets in the area where Dalits live and work as daily labourers in factories, brickfields, sand and stone quarries in Purulia and neighbouring Jharkhand. They often borrow money against their ration cards as that’s the only valuable item they have to “mortgage”.

Sources said the moneylenders collect ration against these cards and sell the items at a higher price in the open market. “It is a racket,” a district official said.

Ration dealers in Purulia said they give ration against valid cards. “Those with a BPL card get 2kg of rice and 3kg of wheat or atta against each card every month. People living in Jungle Mahal get 8kg rice and 12kg wheat or atta against each card per month,” said Niranjan Mahato of the Purulia Ration Dealers’ Association.

Ration cards have become key for the survival of the poor during the lockdown period with chief minister Mamata Banerjee announcing free ration for them for the next six months.

The victims in Purulia have lodged complaints with the sub-divisional officer of Jhalda.

“I have received the complaint and asked the local block development officer to recover their ration cards and take necessary action against the moneylenders. Keeping anyone’s ration card is illegal. We have also arranged for food for these people,” said Sushanta Bhakta, the SDO.