Govt digitisation drive removes 58 million fake ration cards from PDS

The government's massive digitisation push has transformed India's Public Distribution System (PDS), setting new benchmarks for food security programs globally, the Union Food Ministry said on Wednesday.

The overhaul of the system, which serves 80.6 crore beneficiaries, has led to the removal of 5.8 crore fake ration cards through Aadhaar-based authentication and electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) verification, it said in a statement.

"These efforts have resulted in substantial reductions in leakages and enhanced targeting," the ministry added.

According to the ministry, nearly all 20.4 crore ration cards have been digitised, with 99.8 per cent linked to Aadhaar and 98.7 per cent beneficiaries' credentials verified through biometric authentication.

The ministry has deployed 5.33 lakh e-PoS devices across fair price shops nationwide, enabling Aadhaar-based authentication during distribution and ensuring the rightful targeting of beneficiaries.

"Today Aadhaar authentication is used for distributing approximately 98 per cent of total foodgrains, reducing leakages to ineligible beneficiaries and mitigating any risk of pilferage," the statement said.

The government's eKYC initiative has already validated 64 per cent of all PDS beneficiaries, with the process ongoing for remaining beneficiaries at fair-price shops across the country.

On the supply side, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has implemented end-to-end supply chain management systems, including a vehicle location tracking system integrated with railways for real-time monitoring of food shipments.

The 'One Nation One Ration Card scheme' has enabled nationwide portability, allowing beneficiaries to collect rations anywhere in India using their existing cards.

"Through digitisation, rightful targeting, and supply chain innovations, the Government of India has set a global benchmark for state-sponsored food security initiatives," the ministry asserted.

The digital transformation encompasses the entire PDS chain from procurement to distribution, ensuring targeted delivery to genuine beneficiaries while eliminating ghost cards and fake entries from the system.