Lok Sabha Question No. 4459 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-20
Subject: Ration Cards for BPL
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Vijay Kumar Dubey

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4459

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 20TH AUGUST, 2025

## RATION CARDS FOR BPL

## 4459  SHRI VIJAY KUMAR DUBEY:

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

- (a) whether the Government has taking/is taking any steps to ensure all eligible  Below Poverty Line (BPL) individuals receive ration cards;
- (b) if  so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of the measures are being taken by the Government to prevent misuse of ration cards by ineligible persons and corrupt officials; and
- (d) the details of the corrective measures which have been implemented by the Government along with  their  outcomes?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA)

(a) &  (b): The Targeted Public Distribution  System (TPDS) is now governed as per the provision of the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA).

Identification  of  beneficiaries under the  Act  is  under two  categories- Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)  households and Priority  Households. The Act provides that the State Government shall, within  the ceiling of  beneficiaries  determined for  the State, identify the households to be covered under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana to the extent specified by the Central Government, in accordance with  the  guidelines applicable to the said scheme and the remaining households as priority households to  be  covered under the  Targeted Public  Distribution  System, in  accordance with  such guidelines evolved by the  State Government itself.  There is no Below  Poverty Line (BPL) category under the Act.

- (c): The  TPDS  is  operated  under  the  joint responsibility of  the  Central  and  the  State/UT Governments.  The responsibility  for  identification  of beneficiaries, within  the coverage determined for the State/UT and issuance of their ration cards rest with the concerned States/UTs.

As and when complaints for NFS A  or any State/UT are received in the Department from individuals,  organizations,  through media reports etc. regarding any irregularities in the functioning of  the TPDS i.e. leakage/ diversion of subsidized foodgrains, regarding issuance of  ration cards, complaints regarding functioning  of  fair  price  shop etc. they  are forwarded to  the concerned State/UT Governments  for  inquiry and appropriate action.

(d): The Central Government has issued advisories to all the States/Union Territories from time to time to identify all eligible and poor persons/ households including vulnerable Sections of the Society for  inclusion under the NFS A.  States undertake updation of  their  beneficiary  database so that ineligible  ration cards get deleted and better targeting of  rightful  beneficiaries is  ensured. Thus, deletion of ineligible beneficiaries  and addition of eligible beneficiaries under the Act  is a contInuous process.

As an outcome of  use of  technology in  TDPS operations since 2013, i.e digitization  of Ration  Card/Beneficiary  database & Aadhar seeding has  led  to  identification  of  duplicates, ineligible  records, deaths, permanent migration  of  Beneficiary  etc. This  has led all  States/UTs to able to weed-out approx. 5.87 crore ration cards in order to achieve rightful  targeting.

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