Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday said that nearly 3 crore additional ration cards could be issued to eligible beneficiaries across the country after states removed more than 2 crore ineligible names from the public distribution system (PDS). He made the remarks while addressing an event on smart warehousing systems, highlighting ongoing reforms in food distribution and digitisation.

The minister said that the Centre had identified around 8.51 crore ineligible beneficiaries, including deceased persons, income tax payers, and individuals owning four-wheelers, and shared the data with state governments for verification. However, he clarified that the actual deletion of ration cards was carried out by the states based on their own verification criteria, not directly by the Union government.

According to official figures shared by Joshi, states have so far removed 2.21 crore ration cards from their records. He noted that the process of cleaning beneficiary lists has been uneven across the country, with some states completing the exercise while others are still identifying ineligible entries. He added that digitisation of the PDS has played a crucial role in improving transparency and enabling large-scale verification.

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At the same time, the minister said states now have the flexibility to include eligible beneficiaries, opening the possibility of issuing nearly 3 crore new ration cards. He stated that the government’s goal is to ensure that food security benefits reach genuinely eligible citizens under schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, which continues to target coverage for around 80 crore people.

Joshi further said that 98.5 per cent of foodgrain distribution under the scheme is now authenticated through Aadhaar-based verification and electronic point-of-sale (ePoS) systems. He added that technological upgrades such as smart warehouses and digital depots are being implemented to strengthen supply chain efficiency and reduce leakages in the system.

The minister also claimed that nearly 25 crore people have moved out of multidimensional poverty in the post-COVID period, citing government welfare schemes and reports from institutions such as NITI Aayog and the International Monetary Fund. He expressed confidence that the food subsidy system would remain financially sustainable despite expanding welfare coverage.

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