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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. 2759
TO BE ANSWERED ON 17TH MARCH, 2026
MEASURES TO STRENGTHEN TPDS
2759 SHRI IMRAN PRATAPGARHI:
Will the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution be pleased to
state
(a): the measures taken to strengthen the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) and
to plug leakages/diversions in the supply chain;
(b): the number of fake/ghost ration cards detected and deleted across the country during
the last three years, State-wise; and
(c) : whether Government proposes to introduce any new technology like Aadhaar-based
authentication or face authentication at Fair Price Shops?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS,
FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
(SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA)
(a) to (c): Under the ongoing reforms in the Public Distribution System (PDS), the ration card
and beneficiary database has been completely digitised across all States and Union Territories.
Almost all FPS in the country have been automated through the installation of electronic Point of
Sale (ePoS) devices for distribution foodgrains. Further, 99.2% of beneficiaries have been
Aadhaar-seeded and 98.75% of foodgrain distribution is being carried out through digital
authentication modes, including Aadhaar biometric and iris authentication.
Digitisation of the PDS aims to enhance efficiency and transparency to ensure rightful
targeting of beneficiaries, and address challenges such as leakages and diversion offoodgrains.
As an outcome of the use of technology in Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS)
operations, i.e., digitization of ration cards/beneficiary databases, Aadhaar seeding, de-
duplication process, identification of duplicates, ineligible records, deaths, permanent migration
of beneficiaries, etc. all States/UTs have been able to weed-out ineligible ration cards in order to
achieve rightful targeting. The number of Ration Cards deleted in the last three years is annexed.
88888Annexu re
The number of Ration Cards deleted in the last three years are as under:
Sl. State/UT 2023 2024 2025
I Andhra Pradesh 52,610 49,2 1 5 50,681
2 Andaman And Nicobar Islands 47 512 102
3 Arunachal Pradesh 328 268 1,128
4 Assam 38,590 1,61,516 24,381
5 Bihar 4,49,525 16,86,266 1 ,49,043
6 Chandjgarh 2,29 1 207 2,40 1
7 W9 57,371 60,496
8 151 1,101
9 Delhi 3,686 6 1 ,292 11,438
10 Goa 5,801 166 3,467
11 mGui aarat 1 ,35,362 30,889 69, 102
12 8,49,972 3,28,557 13,43,474
13 Himachal Pradesh 7,551 9,673 7,400
14 Jammu And Kashmir 5,403 4,767 3,036
15 Jharkhand 29,77 1 6,374 67,730
16 Karnataka 74,40 1 27, 105 50,594
17 Kerala 40,800 11,555 7,26 1
18 Ladakh 58 615 764
19 Da shadweep 89 88 32
20 Madhya Pradesh 4,96,092 7,04,848 2,60,285
21 Maharashtra 2,0 1 ,676 1 ,74,342 1 ,33,469
22 Manipur 9,684 7,215 6,515
23 Meghalaya 1,612 449 102
24 Mizoram 4, 115 2,548 742
25 Nagaland 3,177 3 ,924 1, 347
26 Odisha 3 1 ,240 19,420 1,21, 134
27 Puducherry 847 898 763
28 Punjab 1 ,23,722 7,520 2,290
29 Rajasthan a6 1 ,03 ,444 6,05,826
30 Sikkim 604
2, 116
31 Tamil Nadu 73,875 63,905 33,339
32 mTela )ngana 34,064 3 ,424 1 ,40,947
33 800 467 4.334
34 Uttar Pradesh 7,00, 138 8,41 , 123 5,97,012
35 Uttarakhand 9,69 1 4,589
36 West Bengal 7,56,860 5,09,952 3.74.519
Total 41,99,373 48,85,259 41,41,385