Lok Sabha Question No. 2870 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-03
Subject: Decrease in Beneficiaries of Free Ration
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Bharatiben Dhirubhai Shyal, Queen Oja

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2870 TO BE ANSWERED ON 3 RD  AUGUST, 2022

## DECREASE IN BENEFICIARIES OF FREE RATION

†2870.  DR. BHARATIBEN DHIRUBHAI SHIYAL: SHRIMATI QUEEN OJA:

Will  the  Minister  of  CONSUMER  AFFAIRS,  FOOD  AND  PUBLIC

DISTRIBUTION उपभोᲦा मामले , खा᳒ और सावᭅजिनक िवतरण मंᮢी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the number of people availing free ration facility particularly in rural areas has reduced because of increase in their income; and
- (b) if  so,  the  details  of  the  number  of  people  availing  free  ration  during  the last three years, State-wise?

## A N S W E R

MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

- (a): The Government's free ration scheme Pradhan Mantri Gramin Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) is provided to the beneficiaries of National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) which inter-alia provides coverage for up to 75% of rural population and up to 50% of urban population across the country. NFSA provides maximum coverage  for  about  81.35  Crore  persons  as  per  Census  2011,  and  currently around  79.73  crore  persons  are  covered  under  free  ration  scheme  namely Pradhan Mantri Gramin Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).

Further,  as  per  the  Targeted  Public  Distribution  System  (TPDS)  Control Order  2015,  the review  of ration cards/beneficiaries list, identification of bogus/ineligible/ duplicate ration cards and inclusion of genuine eligible beneficiaries/households is the responsibility of concerned State/UT Government.  States/UTs  have  been  advised  to  undertake  proper  verification (including field verification) of each identified case to ensure that ration cards of genuine beneficiaries are not deleted/ suspended. Further, States/UTs issue new ration  cards  to  the  genuinely  eligible  households/beneficiaries  in  place  of cancelled  ration  cards  under  ceiling  limit  of  the  National  Food  Security  Act (NFSA).

- (b): State-wise list of eligible NFSA beneficiaries to get benefits of free ration
- is attached as Annexure.

*****

## Annexure

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF THE UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2870 FOR ANSWER ON 03.08.2022 IN THE LOK SABHA.

## Statement showing State/UT wise coverage of beneficiaries under NFSA

(figures in Lakhs)

| Sl.   | States/ UTs              | Current Coverage of persons under NFSA (as identified by States/UTs)   |
|-------|--------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1     | Andaman& Nicobar Islands | 0.61                                                                   |
| 2     | Andhra Pradesh           | 268.22                                                                 |
| 3     | Arunachal Pradesh        | 8.40                                                                   |
| 4     | Assam                    | 251.17                                                                 |
| 5     | Bihar                    | 871.16                                                                 |
| 6     | Chandigarh               | 2.76                                                                   |
| 7     | Chhattisgarh             | 200.77                                                                 |
| 8     | Dadra &NHand Daman& Diu  | 3.02                                                                   |
| 9     | Delhi                    | 72.78                                                                  |
| 10    | Goa                      | 5.32                                                                   |
| 11    | Gujarat                  | 345.15                                                                 |
| 12    | Haryana                  | 126.49                                                                 |
| 13    | Himachal Pradesh         | 28.64                                                                  |
| 14    | Jammu &Kashmir           | 72.41                                                                  |
| 15    | Jharkhand                | 264.12                                                                 |
| 16    | Karnataka                | 401.93                                                                 |
| 17    | Kerala                   | 154.80                                                                 |
| 18    | Ladakh                   | 1.44                                                                   |
| 19    | Lakshadweep              | 0.22                                                                   |
| 20    | Madhya Pradesh           | 482.58                                                                 |
| 21    | Maharashtra              | 700.17                                                                 |
| 22    | Manipur                  | 20.08                                                                  |
| 23    | Meghalaya                | 21.46                                                                  |
| 24    | Mizoram                  | 6.68                                                                   |
| 25    | Nagaland                 | 14.05                                                                  |
| 26    | Odisha                   | 325.03                                                                 |
| 27    | Puducherry               | 6.34                                                                   |
| 28    | Punjab                   | 141.51                                                                 |
| 29    | Rajasthan                | 440.01                                                                 |
| 30    | Sikkim                   | 3.79                                                                   |
| 31    | Tamil Nadu               | 364.69                                                                 |
| 32    | Telangana                | 191.62                                                                 |
| 33    | Tripura                  | 24.83                                                                  |
| 34    | Uttar Pradesh            | 1,487.44                                                               |
| 35    | Uttarakhand              | 61.94                                                                  |
| 36    | West Bengal              | 601.84                                                                 |
|       | Total                    | 7,973.47                                                               |