Over 2.49 Crore Ration Cards Cancelled Since 2020, Says Centre

States and Union Territories have deleted 2.49 crore ration cards since 2020 for various reasons, including ineligible beneficiaries, the Central government informed on Tuesday.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya, stated that India currently has 2,02,95,2938 ration cards in circulation.

Under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), the Centre provides free foodgrains to approximately 80 crore people through ration shops.

"As a result of digitisation efforts, States and UTs have been able to weed out around 2.49 crore ration cards between 2020 and 2025 to ensure rightful targeting," the minister said.

She added that the main reasons for the cancellation of ration cards include the identification of duplicates, ineligible beneficiaries, eKYC mismatches, deaths, and permanent migration of beneficiaries.

Bambhaniya also noted that the government has not received any specific reports or complaints regarding wrongful cancellation of ration cards.

According to official data, 24,19,451 ration cards were deleted in 2020; 29,02,794 in 2021; 63,80,274 in 2022; 41,99,373 in 2023; 48,85,259 in 2024; and 41,41,385 cards have been removed so far in 2025.

The NFSA, enacted in 2013, aims to cover up to 75 percent of the rural population and up to 50 percent of the urban population, reaching roughly two-thirds of the country’s total population. Based on the 2011 Census, this translates to about 81.35 crore beneficiaries.

Currently, States and UTs have identified 80.56 crore people for NFSA benefits. However, there remains potential to identify an additional 0.79 crore beneficiaries under the scheme, also referred to as the food law.

With PTI inputs