Lok Sabha Question No. 2592 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-11
Subject: PDS   Cardholders
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Rajesh Naranbhai Chudasama

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2592 TO BE ANSWERED ON lITH DECEMBER, 2024

## PDS CARDHOLDERS

## 2592. SHRI CHUDASAMA RAJESHBHAI NARANBHAI:

Will  the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION wftnr wig, um  at liT+gf+q fbaal  +it  be pleased to  state:

- (a) the number of Public  Distribution  System (PDS) cardholders in the country during each of the last five years including Above Poverty Line (APL)/Below Poverty line  (BPL), category, and State-wise;
- (b) the number of incidences when ration was denied due to non-verification  with  Aadhaar; and
- (C) the details and the number of  Indian citizens who are not PDS card holders or beneficiaries?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBIIAI  BAMBHANIYA)

- (a): As per the provisions of the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA), the Department allocates foodgrains to all States/UTs for distribution to 80.67 crore beneficiaries under the Antyodaya  Anna Yojana  (AAY) and Priority  Household (Pm) categories of the Act.  The NFS A  is operational in  a uniform  manner in all  States/Us,  and there is no Above Poverty Line (APL)/ Below Poverty Line (BPL) category under the Act. A statement showing State-wise coverage of NFS A Beneficiaries is at Annexure.
- (b): The Department has extended the timeline given to  the States/UTs, under the Notification dated 08/02/2017  (as amended from  time  to time)  issued in  exercise of  Section-7 of  the  Aadhaar Act  2016, for  completing the Aadhaar seeding of  ration  cards up  to 31.12.2024. Until then, all States/UTs have been advised that no genuine beneficiary/household shall be deleted from the list of eligible ration cards/ beneficiaries or shall not be denied their entitled quota of foodgrains under NFS A  only for  want of Aadhaar number or only  on the ground of  not possessing an Aadhaar number, failure of  biometric authentication due to network/ connectivity/  linking  issues or any other technical reasons etc.

(c): National Food Security Act  (NFS;A) provides maximum coverage for  about 81.35 Crore persons, out  of which,  currently  around  80.67  crore persons are covered to  avail  free foodgrains under NFSA.  The States/UTs can issue ration cards upto the  ceiling  limit prescribed under National Food Security Act (NFS A). A statement showing State-n'ise coverage of 1\TSA Beneficiaries is at Annexure.

#####

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN  REPY TO PART (a), (c) OF THE UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2592 FOR ANSWER  ON 1 1.12.2024 IN THE LOK  SABHA.

State-wise Number  of NFSA  Beneficiaries  as on 31.10.2024

|         |                   | Present coverage (in lakh)   | Present coverage (in lakh)   | Present coverage (in lakh)   | Present coverage (in lakh)   |
|---------|-------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|
| SI. No. | 1States/ UTs      | AAY                          | AAY                          | Priorit                      | Total persons                |
|         |                   | No. of families              | No. of person                | N o. of persons              | Total persons                |
| 1       | Andhra Pradesh    | 9.08                         | 23.52                        | 244.7                        | 268.22                       |
| 2       | Arunachal Pradesh | 0.38                         |                              | 6.9                          | 8.4                          |
| 3       | Assam             | 6.92                         | 28.08                        | 223.08                       | 251.17                       |
| 4       | Bihar             | 25.01                        | 125.05                       | 746.1 1                      | 871.16                       |
| 5       | Chhattisgarh      | 7.19                         | 20.42                        | 180.35                       | 200.77                       |
| 6       | Delhi             | 0.69                         | 2.78                         | 70                           | 72.78                        |
| 7       | Goa               | 0.12                         | 0.46                         | 4.86                         | 5.32                         |
| 8       | Gujarat           | 7.76                         | 35.82                        | 327.17                       | 362.98                       |
| 9       | Haryana           | 2.68                         | 11 .35                       | 115.14                       | -126.49                      |
| To      | Himachal Pradesh  | 1.65                         | 6.82                         | 23.07                        | 29.88                        |
| 11      | Jharkhand         | 8.94                         | 34.76                        | 229.43                       | 264. 19                      |
| 12      | Karnam            | 10.97                        | 43.91                        | 358.02                       | 40 1.93                      |
| 13      | Kerala            | 5.96                         | 25.59                        | 129.21                       | 154.8                        |
| 14      | Madhya Pradesh    | 14.63                        | 54.93                        | 479.86                       | 534.79                       |
| 15      | Maharashtra       | 25.05                        | 108.01                       | 592.16                       | 700.17                       |
| 16      | Manipur           | 0.64                         | 1.91                         | 18.97                        | 20.87                        |
| 17      | Meghalaya         | 0.7                          | 2.91                         | ln5                          | 21.46                        |
| 18      | Mizoram           | 0.26                         | 0.64                         | 6.41                         | 7.05                         |
| 19      | Nagaland          | 0.48                         | 2.11                         | 11.94                        |                              |
| 20      | Odisha            | 12.53                        | 37.57                        | 287.6                        | 4E                           |
| 21      | Punjab            | 1.79                         | 7.64                         | 133..8                       | 14] .45                      |
| 22      | Rajasthan         | 6.29                         | 22.29                        | 4] 7.72                      | 440.01                       |
| 23      | Sikkirn           | 0.17                         | 0.57                         | 3.24                         | 3.81                         |
| 24      | Tamil Nadu        | 18.64                        | 65.78                        | 298.34                       | 364.12                       |
| 25      | Telangaia         | 5.67                         | 15.95                        | 175.74                       | 191.62                       |
| 26      | TriDura           | 1.09                         | 4.62                         | 19.81                        | 24.43                        |
| 2+      | iTuar mr d;       | 40.9                         | 132.57                       | 1377.26                      | 1509.82                      |
| 28      | Uttarakhand       | ] .84                        | 7.92                         | 54.02                        | 61.94                        |
| 29      | West Bengal       | 16.42                        | 54.99                        | 546.85                       | 60 1.84                      |
| 30      | A&N               | 0.04                         | 0.14                         | 0.46                         | 0.61                         |
| 3]      | DNH&DD            | 0.05                         | 0.24                         | 2.45                         | 2.69                         |
| 32      | IJakshadweep      | 0.01                         | ,0.04                        | 0.18                         | 0.22                         |
| 33      | Chandigarh (DBT)  | OR                           | 0.01#                        | 2.98                         | 2.99                         |
| 34      | Puduchery (DBT)   | 0.25-                        | mg                           | 5.52                         | i.34                         |
| 35      | J&K               | 2.33                         | 10.61                        | 61.8                         | 72.4 1                       |
| 36      | Ladakh            | o.06                         | 1 o.29                       | 1.15                         | 1.44                         |
|         | Total             |                              | - 892.62                     | 7174.96                      | 8067.47                      |

Since information is in lakhs,  the figures  for  Chandigarh  in  absolute nos.:

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