If ration is not taken for six months, the ration card will be cancelled : Union Government

New Delhi – The Union Government has issued an amendment to the Targeted Public Distribution System (Control) Order, 2025, bringing sweeping changes to how ration cards will now be monitored and verified across India.

As per the notification issued on 22^nd July, ration cards of individuals who have not collected food grains for six consecutive months under the public distribution system will be deactivated. These individuals will then be subject to door-to-door verification and mandatory e-KYC within the next three months to determine fresh eligibility.

The move is expected to impact beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) as well, as even those not availing the free ration scheme will fall under the scope of the new guidelines.

Currently, there are 23 crore active ration cards in India. While the exact number of cards to be cancelled will be known after state-level verification, initial estimates suggest that 7 % to 18 % of ration cards may be scrapped. Over 25 lakh cards are suspected to be duplicate entries, according to Government sources.

Ration card eligibility list to be reviewed every five years

According to officials from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, the eligibility list for ration cards will be reviewed every five years. For children under the age of five registered on the card, the Aadhaar number will be used.

Once a child turns five, KYC (Know Your Customer) will become mandatory. Cards with duplicate entries will be suspended for three months and will only be reinstated after KYC is completed. New ration cards will be issued based on the “first come, first served” principle. The waiting list will be published on the respective state’s official website.