Ration Card

A ration card is an official document issued to households that are eligible to purchase food grains at a subsidised rate from the Public Distribution System. Under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), state governments are responsible for identifying households that are eligible for ration cards and then providing them with it. The card also serves as a common form of identification for many Indians. There are two types of ration cards- Priority Household (PHH) ration cards and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) ration cards. PHH cards are given to those households which meet the eligibility criteria set by the government. As a PHH ration cardholder, every member of the family is entitled to 5kgs of food grain per month. The AAY ration cards were in use even before the NFSA act was passed. It is issued to those households which fall under the ‘poorest of poor’ category. Those who have this card, are entitled to 35 kilograms of food grain every month. In 2018, the government introduced the concept of ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ keeping in mind the constant mobility of migrant workers. The idea behind ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ is to ensure that migrant workers and their family members have access to the benefits of the Public Distribution System from any Fair Price Shop anywhere in the country. It enables inter-state portability of ration cards and uses the Aadhar number of the beneficiary for verification. More