This document summarizes the Indian Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution's response to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2961, addressed on August 6, 2025, concerning the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Haridwar district.
Regarding the implementation of technology, all 608 Fair Price Shops (FPSs) in Haridwar are equipped with ePoS devices, and Aadhaar-based authentication is available for PDS delivery.
The Ministry states that it has not received any specific reports of irregularities in ration distribution after Aadhaar seeding.
While the Department has not conducted a recent independent audit or survey on ration distribution in Haridwar, it engaged Monitoring Institutions (MIs) to evaluate the implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, in different States/UTs during Phase I (2018-20) and Phase II (2020-23). These reports are publicly available at https://nfsa.gov.in/portal/ConcurrentEvaluation.
The government has taken steps to improve online grievance redressal through the NFSA portal, the Mera Ration mobile app, and the Anna Sahayata platform (leveraging WhatsApp and IVRS). These platforms, along with the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) portal, allow beneficiaries to lodge complaints, and provide Central and State officials with tools to monitor and track grievances.
Key Entities Referenced
SHRI TRIVENDRA SINGH RAWAT: The Member of Parliament who raised the unstarred question in Lok Sabha.
SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA: Minister of State for Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution who provided the answer to the Lok Sabha question.
Haridwar district, Uttarakhand: A district in Uttarakhand, India, where ration shops are being evaluated for ePoS implementation and irregularities.
Aadhaar: A 12-digit individual identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India. It is used for authentication in the Public Distribution System.
ePoint of Sale ePoS: Electronic Point of Sale machines used in ration shops for efficient and transparent distribution of rations.
Public Distribution System PDS: A government-sponsored chain of shops entrusted with the responsibility of distributing basic food and non-food commodities to the needy sections of the society at very low prices.
National Food Security Act, 2013 NFSA: An Act of the Parliament of India which aims to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two-thirds of the country's population.
Mera Ration mobile app: A mobile application developed by the Government of India to enable beneficiaries to lodge complaints related to the Public Distribution System.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2961
TO BE ANSWERED ON 6TH AUGUST, 2025
RATION SHOPS IN IIARiDWAR
2961. SHRI TRIVENDRA SINGH RAWAT:
Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
be pleased to state:
(a): whether all ration shops in the Haridwar district have been linked with e-Point of Sale
(ePoS) machines and if so, the details thereof;
(b): whether irregularities have been reported in the ration distribution even after Aadhaar
seeding;
(c): whether any independent audit or survey has been conducted by the Government in this
regard recently and if so, the details thereof; and
(d): whether the Government has made online complaint system more effective and if so,
the details thereon
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS,
FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
(SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA)
(a): All 608 Fair Price Shops (FPSs) of Haridwar district are equipped with ePoS devices
and Aadhaar based authentication facility is also available at these FPSs for Public Distribution
System (PDS) delivery.
(b): No such specific report received in the Department.
(c): This Department has not conducted recently any independent audit or survey on the
subject matter under consideration. However, this Department engaged Monitoring Institutions
(MIs) of repute to undertake concurrent evaluation of the implementation of National Food
Security Act, 2013 (NFS A) in different States/UTs for Phase-1 (2018-20) and Phase-I1 (2020-
23). Reports submitted by the MIs are available in public domain
at
https://nfsa.gov.in/portal/Concurrent_Evaluation.-2-
d): The Government of India has initiated various efforts to capture beneficiaries
grievances online. It has developed the NFS A portal and the Mera Ration mobile app, where
beneficiaries can lodge their complaints. Further, the Government has launched the Anna
Sahayata platform to facilitate a structured and technology-enabled grievance redressal
mechanism, leveraging WhatsApp and IVRS services. Central portals are available to both
Central and State officials to monitor grievances, track their status, and review pendency.
Additionally, beneficiaries can also lodge their grievances on the CPGRAMS portal.
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