Delhi reopens new ration card applications after 13 years

The announcement comes after the Delhi Government carried out a large-scale audit of the ration distribution system and identified over 7.71 lakh “bogus and ineligible” beneficiaries. According to the government, more than 6.46 lakh beneficiaries were found to be above the prescribed income limit, while thousands of others either had duplicate entries, had not availed ration for over a year, or were deceased persons whose names still existed in official records.

With the removal of these names, nearly 7.72 lakh vacancies have opened up in the system, paving the way for fresh beneficiaries. The government said over 3.72 lakh applications for new ration cards and nearly one lakh applications for inclusion of family members are currently pending and will now be processed under revised eligibility norms.

The Chief Minister said the government has introduced sweeping technology-driven reforms to make the system transparent and corruption-free. Biometric authentication has been made mandatory for ration distribution, while traditional weighing machines at fair-price shops are being replaced with electronic weighing systems to curb complaints of under-weighing and leakages.

“All ration card-related services have now been shifted online so that citizens do not have to make repeated visits to government offices,” Gupta said, adding that applicants can either apply from home or through facilitation centres.

Under the revised rules, applicants will have to furnish Aadhaar details, proof of residence and updated income certificates of all family members. The government has also introduced a three-tier verification mechanism involving Food and Supplies Officers, Assistant Commissioners and district-level committees headed by District Magistrates along with local MLAs before ration cards are approved digitally.

The Delhi Government has already increased the annual family income eligibility limit from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.20 lakh and is considering raising it further to Rs 2.50 lakh to bring more poor and lower middle-class families under the welfare net.

Delhi Food and Civil Supplies Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa alleged that previous governments had turned the ration system into “a vehicle of politics and corruption” and said deserving families had been deprived of benefits for years.