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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2746
TO BE ANSWERED ON 17TH MARCH, 2026
IMPLEMENTATION OF ONORC
2746 SHRI R. DIIARMAR:
Will the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution be pleased to
state
(a): the current status of the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme and the
number of States and UTs that have implemented it so far;
(b) : the benefits extended to beneficiaries under this scheme, especially migrant workers
and their families across the country including Tamil Nadu;
(c): the steps being taken to address any challenges or issues faced in the smooth
implementation of the scheme;
(d): whether there are any plans to cover all States and UTs under this scheme; and
(e): if so, the details thereon
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS.
FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
(SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA)
(a) & (b): The One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) is a technology-driven initiative of the
Department of Food and Public Distribution that enables nationwide portability of ration cards
for beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act (NFS A). The system allows
eligible beneficiaries, particularly migrant workers and other mobile populations, to lift their
entitled foodgrains from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) in the country through Aadhaar-based
biometric authentication using ePoS devices. The system integrates ration card databases of all
States/UTs and facilitates seamless portability through interoperable ePoS devices deployed at
Fair Price Shops. To date, more than 207 crore portability transactions in country (including
more than 2.12 crore in Tamil Nadu) have been recorded under ONORC, covering both inter-
State and intra-State.
(c) to (e): The implementation of ONORC was carried out in a phased manner, beginning with
pilot inter-State portability transactions in August 2019, followed by gradual onboarding of
States/UTs. At present, ONORC has been successfully implemented across all 36 States and
Union Territories, covering about 80 crore NFS A beneficiaries (100% of the NFS A population).
Accordingly, the ONORC facility is now automatically available to all PMGKAY beneficiaries
across the country.
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