Lok Sabha Question No. 3371 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-23
Subject: Linking Aadhaar with Ration Card
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil

## GOVERNMENT  OF INDIA

## MINISTRY  OF CONSUTUER  AFFAIRS, FOOD &  pUBLtC  D|STRIBUTION

## DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIG DISTRIBUTTON

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.337{ TO BE ANSWERED  ON 23Ro MARCH, 2022

## LINKING AADHAAR WITH RATION CARD

## 3371. SHRI SHRINIWAS  PATIL:

Will the Minister of  GONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DlsTRlBUTloN  scli-+.rqrq-t, er* *<vrffi+G-fiurCf be pleased to state:

- (a)  the number of ineligible or unverified beneficiaries  removed from database after linking of Aadhaar with ration card, since 2O14, State-wise and year-wise;
- (b)  whether the Ministry is aware of the magnitude of  'quantity discrepancyt where legitimate beneficiaries are given only a fraction of their entitlement  by the PDS dealer;
- (c) if so, the details thereof, State-wise  and year-wisel
- (d)  whether the Ministry is also aware that linking Aadhaar with ration card is leading to denia! of entitlements to legitimate beneficiaries  while having no impact on  'quantity  discrepancyt;  and
- (e) if so, the steps being taken to curb  lquantity  discrepancy'?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY  OF RURAL DEVELOPTUIENT  AND coNsuMER AFFAIRS,  FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (sADHVr NTRANJAN JYOTI)

- (a): Under the National Food Security  Act, 2O{3 (NFSA)' interalia the inclusion and exclusion of  beneficiaries  is  the responsibility of  the respective State/UT Governments. Furtherr inclusion and exclusion  of beneficiaries under NFSA is an ongoing process as per the eligibility  criteria evolved by the States/UTs. Accordingly, leveraging  the implementation  of information technology for Targeted Public Distribution  System (TPDS) reforms under NFSA, digitization of ration cards/beneficiariest data, de-

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duplication process, permanent mlgration, deaths, identafication  of ineligible/duplicate/fake  ration cards, etc. the States/UTs so far have reported cancellation  of about 4.28 Crote ration cards during the period 20,14 to 2O21. However, Iinking or non-linking of Aadhaar with ration cards is not a criterion for deletion/cancellation  of ration cards under NFSA. A statement showing State/UT wise, and year wise number of ration cards deleted by States/UTs during 2014lo 2021 is at Annexure.

- (b) & (c):  To ensure all NFSA beneficiaries  are in receipt of their monthly foodgrains  in full quantities  as per the entitlements  of their Antyodaya Anna Yoiana (AAY) and Priority Household (PHH) ration cards, alt States/UT have been advised vide time to time letters, meetings and video conferences to ensure the distribution of foodgrains  at FPSs through transparent electronic Point of  Sale (ePoS) device transactionsl along with  biometric authentication  of  beneficiaries and provide ePoS printed transaction receipts to all beneficiaries  in local/bilingua! languages.
- (d): Under the Notification dated O8/OZ2O17 (as amended from time to time), issued by the Department  pursuant to Section-7  of the Aadhaar Act 2O{6, the timeline given to all States/UTs for linking of Aadhaar numbers of beneficiaries  with their ration cards has been extended up to 311O312022. Until then, as per the extant instructions  of the Department vide letters dated 2411012O17 and Ogl11l2018,  States/UTs have been advised that no genuine NFSA beneficiary/household shall be denied from receiving their entitled quota of subsidized  foodgrains only for want of Aadhaar; or due to failure of biometric/Aadhaar  authentication  due to network/ connectivity/ tinking related issues, poor biometrics of the beneficiary or any other technical reasons.
- (e): States/UTs  were atso advised to integrate electronic weighing machlnes/scales wath ePoS devices at all FPSs to ensure correct and transparent weighment of foodgrains by FPS dealers at the time of distribution. Presently, around 9O% of monthly foodgrains allocated by the Department are dastributed by the States/UTs throtgh ePoS transactions.

t**it

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO lN REPLY TO PART (a) OF THE UNSTARRED OUESTTON NO.337l FOR ANSWER ON 23.03.20.22  IN THE LOK SABHA.

## Statement  showtno State/UT wise. and vear wiso number of ration cards deleted by States/UTs  durinq  2014 to 2021:

| st.   | State/UT          | 2014      | 2015      | 2016        | 2017     | 2018       | 2019     | 2020       | 2021      | Total      |
|-------|-------------------|-----------|-----------|-------------|----------|------------|----------|------------|-----------|------------|
| 1     | Andhra Pradesh    | 5,45,987  | 1,29,202  | 4,7 5,023   | 5,449    | 15,209     | 12,762   | 24,523     | 13,128    | 12,21,283  |
| 2     | Andaman & Nicobar |           | 37        | 7           | 6        | 47         | 421      | 43',| |           | 949        |
|       | Arunachal Pradesh | 't ,059   | 115       | 4,396       | 56       |            |          |            |           | 5,626      |
| 4     | Assam             |           |           | 1,08,681    | 42,077   | 1,35,250   | 22,412   | 21 ,291    | 11j20     | 3,40,831   |
| 5     | Bihar             | 21,712    | 16,401    | 6,29 1      |          | 2,18,051   | 3,92,713 | 99,404     |           | 7,54,572   |
| 6     | Chandigarh        |           |           |             | 88       |            |          |            |           | 88         |
| 7     | Chhattisgarh      | 7,1 0,000 | 1,43,000  | 1,50,000    | 1,50,000 | 56,834     | 1,38,967 | 4,508      | 4,368     | 13,57 ,677 |
| 8     | DNH and Daman Diu |           | loz       | 650         | 272      | 4,898      | 577      | 5,840      | 1 ,410    | 13,909     |
| 9     | Delhi             |           | 38,496    | 22,696      | 3,969    | 2,56,987   | 381      | 5'18       |           | 3,23,047   |
| 10    | Goa               | o?        | 't,45,471 | 10,115      | 6,146    | 1,130      | 888      | 148        |           | 1,64,050   |
| 11    | Gujarat           | 64,079    | 45,833    | 22,119      | 18,965   | 95,659     | 23,038   | 47 ,936    | 1 1 ,958  | 3,29,587   |
| 12    | Haryana           | 22,903    | 43,515    | 19,648      | 29,686   | 2,91 ,926  |          |            |           | 4,07,678   |
| 13    | Himachal Pradesh  |           |           | 1,148       | 172      | 56,858     | 367      | 4,376      | 2,538     | 65,694     |
| 14    | Jammu and Kashmir | 640       | 3,325     | 50,709      | 664      | 3,428      | 13,869   | 13,224     | Ntt I     | 85,85e     |
| 15    | Jharkhand         | 19        | 7 ,914    | 4,46,025    | 3,59,793 | 82,394     | 60,333   | 65.234     |           | 10,21,712  |
| to    | l\AI IIAIAKA      | 6,64,755  | t ,61 326 | 1,44,432    | 3,26,382 | 73,675     | 1,09,312 | 31,753     | 42,558    | 21,54,193  |
| 17    | Kerala            |           |           |             |          | 3,3'14     | 2,543    | 52,47 5    | 1,04,51 1 | 1,62,900   |
| 18    | Ladakh            | NA        | NA        | NA          | NA       | NA         | NIL      | NIL        | 614       | 614        |
| 19    | Lakshadweep       | th        | 872       | 442         |          | 5          | 6        | 7          |           | 1 ,441     |
| 20    | Madhya Pradesh    | 'l ,313   |           | 3,89,124    | 1,84,673 | 1,27 ,441  | 61 ,265  | 1,65,829   | 14,24,115 | 23,53,760  |
| 21    | Maharashtra       | 85,160    | 8,20,780  | 1 't,55,908 |          | 12,81 ,922 | 6,53,677 | 1 ,31,986  | 36,1 19   | 41 .65.552 |
| 22    | Manipur           |           |           |             | 336      |            |          | 45,321     | 15.541    | 61 ,198    |
|       | Meghalaya         |           |           |             |          | 2,568      | 10,525   | '16        |           | 13,109     |

| sl.   | State/UT      | 2014       | 2015       | 2016       | 2017        | 2014      | 2019       | 2020      | 2021      | Total       |
|-------|---------------|------------|------------|------------|-------------|-----------|------------|-----------|-----------|-------------|
| 24    | Mizoram       | 47         |            | 101        | 559         | 107       | 156        | 1 ,443    | 1,637     | 4,103       |
| 25    | Nagaland      | 3,247      |            |            | 8,52',1     | 7 ,723    | 18,552     | 7 ,304    |           | 45,347      |
| ZO    | Odisha        |            |            | 6,50,471   | 35,740      |           |            |           |           | 6,86,211    |
|       | Puducherry    | 10,629     | 56,121     | 9,886      | 3,290       | 3,533     | 2,093      | 1,881     | 1,731     | 89,164      |
| 28    | Punjab        | 93,267     |            |            | 69,945      | 34,972    | 94,031     | 1,79,837  | 3,305     | 4,75,357    |
| 29    | Rajasthan     |            | 26.329     | 13,71,230  | 73,110      | 8,016     | 72,276     | 5,80,241  | 1,35,283  | 22,66,485   |
| 30    | Sikkim        |            |            | 11 ,714    | 1 ,126      | 3,377     | 5,622      | 6,981     |           | 28,820      |
| 31    | Tamil Nadu    | 96,406     | 1,14,175   | 84,470     | 9,089       |           |            |           |           | 3,04,140    |
| 32    | Telangana     | 11,71,354  | 83,048     | 5,2',t,790 | 4't ,194    | 3,101     | 40,684     | 12,154    | NIL       | 18,73,325   |
| JJ    | Tripura       | 11,814     | 66,236     | 92,728     |             | 18,874    | 552        | 1,099     | 490       | 1,9'1,793   |
| 34    | Uttar Pradesh | 19,117     | 2,33,847   | 25,86,541  | 44,41 ,7 48 | 43,72,491 | 41 ,52,273 | 8,54,025  | 4,15,259  | 1,70,75,301 |
|       | Uttarakhand   |            | 1 ,11 ,367 | 89,984     | 3,18,718    | 1,26,268  |            |           |           | 6,46,337    |
| 36    | West Bengal   | 16,77 ,311 | 21,84,152  |            |             | 88,593    | 1,00,'15'1 | s9,666    |           | 41,09,873   |
|       | Total         | 52,01,280  | 50,31,877  | 84,26,329  | 61,31,774   | 73,74,651 | 59,90,446  | 24,19,451 | 22,25,777 | 4,28,01,585 |