Lok Sabha Question No. 3558 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-08-10
Subject: Cancellation of Ration cards
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Vishnu Dutt Sharma

l.

## GOVERNMENT  OF INDIA

## MlNlsrRY  oF coNsuMER AFFAIRS' FooD &  puBltc  DIsrRtBUTroN DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3556 TO BE ANSWERED  ON {OT}, AUGUST, 2O2T

## CANGELLATION  OF RATION CARDS

## t3s58. SHR| VTSHNU DATT SHARMA:

will  the  Minister of  coNsuMER  AFFATR', FooD AND  puB,.rc

DrsrRrBUTrON  5Ctilmr mr&, ur6-r gt{ grfff,{.  kt{ur d+ be pteased  to srate:

- (a) whether ratron cards of three to four crores of citizens incruding  tribar and the poor peopte  have been cancelted as these are not tinked biometricalty  with Aadhar,  If so, the details thereof;
- (b) the efforts being made by the Govemment  to address this issue; and
- (c)
- the details ofthe outcomes thereof?

ANSWE R

MINISTER OF STATE FOR MTNISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT  AND CONSUMER

## AFFAIRS,  FOOD &  puBl.tc  DISTR|BUTION

(sADHVt  NTRANJAN JYOTT)

(a)  to (c):  The Targeted  public  Distribution  System (TpDS) under National Food security Act' 20r3 (NFSA) is operated in  ioint  responsibitities  of the centra! and state/ur  Govemments, wherein,  Inter-aria  the operational  responsibirities  for inclusion/exclusion  of households/beneficiaries  under NFSA rests with the concemed  state/UT Government. Further, the addition  and deletion  of ration cards under TPDS is a continuous process and the states/urs regularty review their list to identify  and weed-out  ineligibte ration cards and to inctude other left out and genuinely etigibre households/beneficiaries  under NFSA,  up to their respective ceiling limits of population  coverage  under the act. accordingly,  and due to the use of technorogy  in TpDS operations i.e. de-dupticataon  due to digitization  of ration cards data, Aadhaar seeding,  detection of inerigibre, duplicate, bogus ration cards, migration, death of beneficiaries, etc. the states/UTs  have deleted a total of about 4.39 Grore ineligibte, duplicate and fake ration cards during the years 20,13 to 2020 so far.

The states/UTs have been advised to undertake proper yerafication,  which may also include field verification  of each identified/suspected  case to ensure that ration cards of genuine  beneficiaries are not deleled or suspended. Further, the timeline given to the states/UTs  for linking of Aadhaar numbers of beneficiaries  with their ration  cards under the Notification  of thas Department daled o8lo2l2o{ 7 (as amended from time to time)has  been extended up to 3ologl2o21.  Unt-l then, as per  extant instructions  of this Department, vide letters daled 2411012017 and o8l11l2o{8,  alt states/urs are advised  that no ration card / beneficiary shall be deleted only for want of Aadhaar and no genuine beneficiary/household shall be denied from receiving their entifled quota of subsidised foodgrains for not possessing  an Aadhaar number or failure of biometric/Aadhaar  authentication  due to networu  connectivity/  linking  retated issues, poor  biometrics of the beneficiary  or any other technicat reasons. *****