Parliament Question: One Nation One Ration Card

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5319 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25Tll MARCH, 2026 ONE NATION ONE RATION CARD 5319. SHRI MANISH JAISWAL: SMT. MALA RAJYA LAXMI SHAH: SHRI KOTA SRINIVASA POOJARY: DR. HEMANG JOSHI: SHRI VISHWESHWAR HEGDE KAGERI: SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO: SHRI CHINTAMANI MAHARAJ: SMT. SANJNA JATAV: SHRI BALABHADRA MAJHI: SMT. HIMADRI SINGH: SHRI DINESHBHAI MAKWANA: SHRI k4VINDRA SHUKLA ALIAS RAVI KISHAN: SHRI AVIMANYU SETHI: SHRI HARIBHAI PATEL: SHRI NABA CHARAN MAJHI: SHRI JANARDAN MISHRA: SHRI MADHAVANENI RAGHUNANDAN RAO: SHRI ALOK SHARMA: SHRI CHAVDA VINOD LAKHAMSHI: SHRI BHOJRAJ NAG: SHRI ANURAG SHARMA: DR. BHOLA SINGH: SMT. APARAJITA SARANGI: SHRI ANOOP PRADHAN VALMIKI: SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB: SHRI MANOJ TIWARI: Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state: (a): the number of beneficiaries currently availing the portability facility in the country under the 'one Nation One Ration Card' (ONORC) scheme particularly in Chhattisgarh especially in Kanker, Kondagaon, Balod and Dhamtari districts and Bhopal Lok Sabha Constituency, Nabarangpur Lok Sabha Constituency ofOdisha, Jharkhand particularly Hazaribagh and Ramgarh, Bharatpur Lok Sabha Constituency, Shahdol Lok Sabha Constituency, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh particularly the Surguja Region; (b): whether the Government has assessed migration trends as reflected through portability transactions under ONORC scheme in the country particularly among migrant workers and economically vulnerable groups especially in the districts ofBharatpur Lok Sabha Constituency and if so, the details thereof including key finding regarding seasoned and long term migration trends (c) : the number of inter-State and intra-State portability transactions recorded during the last two years in the country including Nabarangpur Lok Sabha Constituency and Uttar Pradeshspecially in Bulandshahr district; (d): whether data is available specifically for Chhattisgmh particularly the Surguja region regarding beneficiaries and portability transactions; (e): the steps taken by the Government to ensure seamless availability of ration for migrant workers and other beneficiaries under the scheme; (f): whether awareness camps and technological improvements have been undertaken to strengthen the effective implementation of ONORC; (g) : the steps proposed to further enhance portability, transparency and accessibility of ration cards under the scheme across all State and UTs; and (h): the measures adopted to strengthen digital monitoring and grievances redressal mechanism under the Public Distribution System (PDS)? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA) (a): The One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) is a technology-driven initiative of the Department of Food and Public Distribution, aimed at enabling nationwide portability of ration cards for beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act (NFS A). The ONORC facility has been successfully implemented across all 36 States and Union Territories, covering more than 80 crore beneficiaries under the Pradhan Manta Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). Under this system, eligible beneficiaries are able to lift their entitled foodgrains from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) in the country using Aadhaar-based biometric authentication through electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) devices. As on date, more than 207 Crore portability transactions have been recorded under ONORC across the country, reflecting extensive usage of the facility by beneficiaries. State-wise portability transactions are as follows: • Chhattisgarh (including Kanker, Kondagaon, Balod, Dhamtari districts and Sarguja Region) : 65.36 Lakh • Odisha (including Nabrangpur Lok Sabha Constituency): 31.30 Lakh • Uttar Pradesh: 17.83 Crore Madhya Pradesh (including Bhopal and Shahdol Lok Sabha Constituency): 8.38 Crore • Jharkhand (including Hazaribagh and Ramgarh): 1.27 Crore • Rajasthan (including Bharatpur Lok Sabha Constituency): 20.09 Crore (b): The ONORC portability transactions, including both inter-State and intra-State transactions, are available in public domain on the Integrated Management of Public Distribution System (INIPDS) portal (www.imp(is.nic.in).(c) and (d): Total Interstate and Intra State Portability transactions recorded in last two years (2024 and 2025) in country are 74.06 Crore. Further, a State-wise portability transactions are as follows: • Odisha (including Nabrangpur Lok Sabha Constituency): 31.30 Lakh • Uttar Pradesh (including Bulandshahr district): 17.83 Crore • Chhattisgarh (including Sarguja Region) : 65.36 Lakh (e) & (f): The ONORC facility is seamlessly available to all PMGKAY beneficiaries across the country. The Government has undertaken several awareness and technological measures to strengthen the effective implementation of One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC). To enable seamless portability, end-to-end automation has been achieved in about 99.8% of Fair Price Shops (FPSs) (i.e., approximately 5.50 lakh out of 5.51 lakh FPSs) across the country. This ensures that beneficiaries can lift their entitled foodgrains from any FPS in any State/UT using Aadhaar-based authentication. Further, the Mera Ration Mobile App has been developed to facilitate migrant beneficiaries by providing information on nearby FPS locations, entitlement details, and transaction history. The app also supports portability by helping beneficiaries identify FPS shops where ONORC services are available. In addition, States/UTs have been regularly sensitised through advisories, review meetings and field-level awareness campaigns to promote the usage of ONORC among beneficiaries. (g): To further enhance portability, transparency and accessibility under ONORC, the Department is implementing the SMART-PDS system, which is based on a microservices architecture with real-time data integration across States/UTs. This unified digital framework enables seamless exchange of beneficiary and transaction data across States, thereby strengthening inter-State portability. Further, initiatives such as Aadhaar seeding, e-KYC, and national-level de-duplication of beneficiaries are being undertaken to ensure accuracy and uniformity of data. (h): The Department has undertaken several measures to strengthen digital monitoring and grievance redressal mechanisms under the Public Distribution System (PDS). Firstly, grievance redressal systems have been strengthened through the universal availability of toll-free helplines (1967/1800 series) across all States/UTs. In addition, Anna Sahayata (ASHA) has been introduced as an Al-enabled grievance redressal platform leveraging WhatsApp and IVRS channels, enabling beneficiaries to lodge complaints and provide feedback in their preferred regional languages. The N4era Ration Mobile App also provides an integrated interface for beneficiaries to access their entitlement details, view transaction history, locate nearby FPSs, and register grievances directly.Further, monitoring has been strengthened through integration with the CPGRAMS platform, wherein States/UTs have been advised to adhere to the prescribed timeline of 21 days for grievance disposal. Grievance pendency is regularly monitored through dashboards, and periodic advisories are issued to ensure timely resolution. States/UTs with high pendency are specifically flagged for correctIve actIon. These initiatives collectively enhance transparency, improve accountability, and ensure timely delivery of services to beneficiaries under the PDS . jeSt k +e +( Se