Lok Sabha Question No. 2875 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Bogus Ration Cards
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Eswarasamy K

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2875

TO BE ANSWERED ON 17Tll DECEMBER, 2025

## BOGUS RATION CARDS

## 2875. SHRI ESWARASAMY K:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER  AFFAIRS,  FOOD  AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state:

- (a): whether a number of eligible  BPL  persons have not been issued ration cards as per their entitlement and the benefits meant for  them are being misappropriated by other persons using bogus cards;
- (b): if  so, the details thereof and the reaction of  Government thereto;
- (c): whether  Government  has  launched/proposes  to  launch  any  campaign  at  the national level to eliminate bogus cards and issue cards to all the eligible families; and
- (d): if  so, the details thereof and the outcome thereon

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

(SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA)

(a) to  (d):  The Targeted Public  Distribution  System (TPDS) governed under the National Food Security Act,  2013 (NFSA)  is operated under the joint  responsibility of the Central and the  State/ Union  Territory  (UT)  Governments.  The  operational responsibilities for allocation of  foodgrains within  the  States/ UTs,  identification  of  eligible  beneficiaries families, issuance of ration cards to them, distribution  of foodgrains to eligible  beneficiaries under TPDS, supervision over and monitoring of  functioning of Fair Price Shops (FPSs) etc. rest with  the concerned State/ UT Governments.

Under NFSA,  the coverage of  beneficiaries for  receiving highly  subsidized foodgrains through Targeted Public Distribution  System (TPDS) has been de-linked from the erstwhile poverty estimates (Above Poverty Line/Below Poverty Line) and has been linked to the population estimates  under two  categories namely Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)  and Priority Households (PHH) only.

During  2024-25, the  Government undertook  a  comprehensive data  analytics exercise wherein multiple  Key  Performance Indexes (KPIs)  -such as beneficiaries aged over  100 years, silent  ration  cards, duplicate  ration  cards and beneficiaries  below  18 years with  single-member ration cards-were  applied to  the PDS database. This database was also cross-matched with  datasets of other Government Agencies [Aadhaar, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Ministry of Corporate Affairs  (MCA),  and Central Board  of Indirect  Taxes and Customs (CBIC)].

This exercise flagged approximate 8.51 Crore beneficiaries (2024 to 2025) and list of  these flagged beneficiaries were shared with  the respective State/UTs for conducting field  verification and to  take necessary action  as deemed fit  on these cases. Till date, the respective States/UTs have  deleted 2.12  Crore  beneficiaries of  the  above flagged beneficiaries, thus making space for eligible waitlisted beneficiaries.

Se SeRIeScSe