Lok Sabha Question No. 2861 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-20
Subject: Digitisation of Ration Cards
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: S. Gnanathiraviam

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2861 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20TH DECEMBER, 2023

## DIGITISATION OF RATION CARDS

## 2861.  SHRI GNANATHIRAVIAM S.:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER  AFFAIRS, FOOD  AND PUBLIC

DISTRIBUTION w*tInT wnd, vm  dk WTbrfqq fqvwr IHt be pleased  to state:

- (a) whether it  is a fact that  the digitization of  ration cards has helped the Government to weed out crores of fake ration cards, thereby plugging
- the leakage of foodgrains;
- (b) if so, the number of ration  cards in the country  and fake ration cards identified during the last two years; and
- (c) the time  by which  the  National Food Security scheme is going to become fully  technology-driven?

## ANSWER

## INISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

(SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

- (a) & (b):  Due to  the digitization of ration cards data in  all States/UTs, continuous de-duplication of  digital  data,  permanent migration, deaths, identification of ineligible ration cards, etc. the States/UTs from time-to'time have reported the cancellation of about 51.17 lakh ineligible ration cards during the period of 2021 to 2022.. The State/UT wise details  of the numbers of ration cards cancelled in the country during 2021 and 2022 are attached as Annexure-l.

(c): As  part of  the technology driven Public Distribution System (PDS) reforms, ration cards/beneficiaries database have been completely digitized in  all  States/UTs, transparency portal  and online grievance redressal facilityfFoll-free  number have  been  implemented in  all States/UTs,  online  allocation has  been  implemented in  all  States/UTs (except UTs of  Chandigarh and Puducherry which  have adopted DBT Cash Transfer scheme) and supply chain has been computerized in 31 States/UTs. Presently, 99.8% ration  cards  are  seeded with  Aadhaar number at national level., So far, nearly 5.41 Lakh out of total  5.43 Lakh FPSs in the country have been automated by installing ePoS devices for the distribution of foodgrains in a transparent manner (electronically) through biometric/ Aadhaar authentication of beneficiaries. The Government of  India, States/UTs and other  concerned stakeholders are continuously making efforts  to  improve efficiency  and transparency of PDS operations.

The Department had earlier implemented One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) plan in August 2019 with 4 states  and by the end of June 2022 ONORC was operational across all 36 States/UTs of the country. Since its inception around 124 Crore portability transactions  have been recorded under the ONORC plan, which includes both inter-State and intra-State transactions ensuring the food security of around 80 Crore beneficiaries in the country

Further, a  new Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) -  'Scheme for Modernization and  Reforms through Technology in  Public Distribution System (SMART-PDS)' is  under implementation to  continue and sustain the  systematic information technology-led reforms brought in  the functioning of Public Distribution System (PDS) operations by overcoming the State level technological limitations with  respect to Server, Software, leveraging of cloud infrastructure and institutionalizing an integrated Central System covering all  PDS related operations across the country. #####

## ANNEXUE REFERRED TO IN  REPLY TO PART (a) &  (b)  OF THE  UNSTARRED QUESTIONS NO.2861 FOR ANSWER ON 20.12.2023 IN THE LOK SABHA.

## State/UT-wise report  of ration  cards deleted/cancelled  by States/UTs during the 2021 and 2022:

| SI.   | State/UT            | 2021       | 2022       | Total       |
|-------|---------------------|------------|------------|-------------|
| 1     | Andhra Pradesh      | 1 3l1 28   |            | 1 3,1 28    |
| 2     | Andaman & Nicobar   | 1 96       | 68         | 264         |
| 3     | Arunachal Pradesh   |            |            |             |
| 4     | Assam               | 11,120     |            | 1 1 ,120    |
| 5     | Bihar               | W5         | I          | 3           |
| 6     | Chandigarh          |            |            |             |
| 7     | Chhattisgarh        | 1 0,400    | 3997l551   | 0           |
| 8     | DNH and Daman & Diu | 2l454      | 3,804      | 6,258       |
| 9     | Delhi               | 448        | 906        | 1 ,354      |
| 10    | Goa                 | 805        | 636        | 1 ,441      |
| 11    | Gujarat             | l          | 5          | 1           |
| 12    | Haryana             |            |            |             |
| 13    | Himachal Pradesh    | 29538      |            | W5          |
| 14    | Jammu and Kashmir   | 339677     | 5,121      | 389798      |
| 15    | Jharkhand           |            |            |             |
| 16    | Karnataka           | 42,558     |            | 42l558      |
| 17    | Kerala              | 1 ,04,51 1 |            | 1 ,04,51 1  |
| 18    | Ladakh              | 614        |            | 614         |
| lg    | Lakshadweep         | 33         |            | 33          |
| 20    | Madhya Pradesh      | 9,93l704   | W8         | 1 0,92,068  |
| 21    | Maharashtra         | 36,1 1 9   |            | 36,1 19     |
| 22    | Manipur             | W4         | 27,082     | 36,493      |
| 23    | Meghalaya           |            | 90         | 90          |
| 24    | Mizoram             | W6         |            | 1 ,637      |
| 25    | Nagaland            |            |            |             |
| 26    | Odisha              |            |            |             |
| 27    | Puducherry          | 1 9731     |            | 1 ,731      |
| 28    | Punjab              | 3,305      |            | 3,305       |
| 29    | Rajasthan           | 3          |            | 3           |
| 30    | Sikkim              |            |            |             |
| 31    | Tamil Nadu          | 2,00,942   | 1          | 3,14,242    |
| 32    | Telangana           | NIL        |            | NIL         |
| 33    | Tripu ra            | 1 1100     | 1 ,331     | 2,431       |
| 34    | Uttar Pradesh       | 7l1 9l21 3 | 8l76,686   | 1 5l95l89q  |
| 35    | Uttarakhand         | 49l712     | 1 ,57l21 9 | 2,06,931    |
| 36    | West Bengal         | 2,93,326   | 2,65l293   | 5,58,61 9   |
|       | Granme otal         | 29,02,794  | 22,14,774  | 51 ,1 7,568 |

+++

+