Aadhaar Seeding in Ration Cards: Progress, Concerns and Mitigation

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution oversees the Aadhaar seeding process in ration cards. This analysis focuses on the extent of Aadhaar linkage, potential ration card cancellations, and the resultant impact on beneficiaries’ food access. Notably, 99.7% of ration cards have been Aadhaar-seeded. However, concerns arise regarding ration card cancellations due to non-possession of Aadhaar or biometric authentication failure.

The Department has extended the Aadhaar seeding timeline until September 30, 2023. States and UTs have been directed to ensure no genuine beneficiary is denied foodgrains due to Aadhaar-related issues. The aim is to safeguard beneficiaries’ entitlements while addressing technical challenges in biometric authentication. This move acknowledges the reports of denial of food grains leading to tragic starvation deaths.

The Ministry emphasizes that beneficiaries’ deletion from the ration card list for Aadhaar-related reasons must be avoided. It also underscores the importance of proper verification before making such decisions. The Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) Control Order 2015 places responsibility on State/UT governments for reviewing ration card lists, identifying ineligible beneficiaries, and ensuring genuine eligible households are not deleted.

Aadhaar seeding in ration cards has made significant progress, reaching an impressive 99.7% coverage. The Ministry’s proactive measures to prevent ration card cancellations due to Aadhaar-related issues demonstrate a commitment to ensuring food security for all. By extending the Aadhaar seeding deadline and emphasizing proper verification processes, the government aims to eliminate the tragic incidents of starvation deaths. These efforts align with the broader goal of achieving rightful targeting of subsidized foodgrains while safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3396
TO BE ANSWERED ON 9TH AUGUST, 2023

AADHAAR SEEDING IN RATION CARDS

3396. DR. K. JAYAKUMAR:

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

(a) the details of the status of Aadhaar seeding in Ration Cards in the country;

(b) whether ration cards are being cancelled in the country due to non-possession of Aadhaar ID or failure in biometric authentication;

(c) if so, the details of rationale behind the cancellation of Ration Cards;

(d) whether the Government is cognizant of the starvation death incidents reported due to denial of food grains as the victims failed to link Aadhaar to Ration Cards; and

(e) if so, the details of actions taken to avoid such incidents?

ANSWER

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

(SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

(a): Presently, 99.7% ration cards are Aadhaar seeded in the country. State-wise detail is attached as Annexure-I.

(b) to (e): This 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 30/09/2023. Until then, all States/UTs have been advised that no genuine beneficiary/household shall be deleted from the list of eligible ration cards/ beneficiaries and shall not be denied their entitled quota of foodgrains under NFSA 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.

However, as per the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) Control Order 2015, the review of ration cards/beneficiaries list, identification of ineligible/ duplicate ration cards and inclusion of genuine eligible beneficiaries/households is the responsibility of the concerned State/UT Government, and the benefit of deleted ration cards is utilized by States/UTs for targeting/addition of new beneficiaries/ration cards subject to State/UT wise ceiling on coverage under National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013. This Department has time-to-time conveyed instructions / communications to States/UTs for de-duplication of beneficiaries / ration cards. Further, there is no report of starvation deaths from any States/UTs. Under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), w.e.f. 1s^t January 2023 free of cost foodgrains are being provided to around 80 crore NFSA beneficiaries as per their entitlements for a period of one year.

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. Accordingly, the State/UT Governments periodically review their lists of ration card holders to weed out potentially ineligible, duplicate/fake beneficiaries / ration cards from their respective systems, after proper verification as per their prescribed norms. Further, States/UTs continuously review the beneficiaries list and issue new ration cards to the eligible households/beneficiaries in place of duplicate / cancelled beneficiaries / ration cards under the prescribed ceiling limit of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), to achieve the rightful targeting of subsidised foodgrains.

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Annexure-I

ANNEXURE REFERED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF THE UNSTARRED QUESION NO.3396 FOR ANSWER ON 09.08.2023 IN THE LOK SABHA

# As per the data reported by States/UTs.

^*Complete coverage of Ration Cards seeding with Aadhaar is awaited due to delay in Aadhar enrolment in few States/UTs (i.e. Arunachal Pradesh, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya and Nagaland)

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