Gilgit-Baltistan uncovers massive fraud in wheat subsidy scheme

Gilgit: The Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) Food Department has completed a region-wide verification of wheat subsidy beneficiaries—uncovering 310,405 fake computerized national identity cards (CNICs) used to illegally claim subsidized wheat.

According to a notification issued by the department on Thursday, the comprehensive audit examined records of 1,773,893 individuals from 270,794 households across all districts with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).

The verification revealed that only 1,381,525 CNICs were legitimate, while 310,405 were found to be fraudulent.

In addition to the fake CNICs, the investigation revealed multiple categories of fraudulent claims, including 27,058 CNICs belonging to non-GB residents, 41,917 expired cards, 3,612 registered to deceased individuals, and 1,531 that remained unverified.

The district-wise analysis exposed Gilgit as having the highest number of fraud cases (118,012), followed by Diamer (65,657) and Skardu (49,571). Other affected districts included Shigar (13,576), Astore (13,556), Ghanche (15,566), Ghizer (14,322), Nagar (9,803), Hunza (6,268), and Kharmang (5,190).

In non-GB resident cases, Gilgit again topped with 10,368 fraudulent claims, followed by Diamer (6,345) and Skardu (4,081).

In Ghizer, 3,112 non-locals submitted CNICs for the wheat subsidy, while in Shigar 1,400, Nagar 1,161, Astore 1,086, Ghanche 752, Hunza 404, and Kharmang 349 non-GB residents were benefiting from the subsidy scheme.

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The Food Department has suspended wheat and flour supplies to all fake beneficiaries, including deceased persons and non-residents. Affected consumers have been given time until May 2025 to rectify their records at district food offices by submitting original documents and valid evidence.

All verified and unverified data (including CNIC and Form-B details) is now publicly available at district food offices and Deputy Commissioner offices across Gilgit-Baltistan. The department has mandated that consumers with expired CNICs must renew them by May 2025 to continue receiving subsidized wheat and flour.

The wheat subsidy is a critical issue for the region, which witnessed large-scale protests during the last two years when the government attempted to raise the price of subsidized wheat. In response, the government initiated the digital verification process.

For the fiscal year 2024–25, the government has earmarked Rs 19.72 billion for the wheat subsidy programme. Currently, the government is providing 6.4 kg of subsidised flour per month for every individual in the region.