A nationwide verification drive under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) has resulted in the removal of over 2.12 crore ineligible beneficiaries from ration card lists between 2024 and 2025. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution shared the details in the Lok Sabha while responding to a query on beneficiary scrutiny under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).
Minister of State Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya said more than 8.51 crore beneficiaries were flagged for review during the exercise, which relied heavily on large-scale data analytics. Multiple government databases were cross-referenced—Aadhaar, the Central Board of Direct Taxes, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs—to identify irregularities.
The Department of Food and Public Distribution initiated the analysis to assist states in detecting questionable or inactive entries in ration card records. A range of indicators was used during the scrutiny, including beneficiaries shown as over 100 years old, ration cards with no recent transactions, duplicate or overlapping records, single-member cards issued to minors, and instances where individuals were recorded as deceased or permanently relocated.
The findings were shared with state and Union Territory governments, which are responsible for ground-level enforcement and verification. After field checks, more than 2.12 crore beneficiaries were deleted for being ineligible.
The ministry also noted that broader TPDS reforms—digitisation of ration cards, Aadhaar linkage, automated de-duplication and improved tracking—led to the deletion of around 2.25 crore ration cards between 2021 and 2025. State-level corrections were highest in Bihar, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, alongside steady annual removals in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh.
The Centre stressed that the aim is accuracy rather than exclusion, ensuring subsidised food grains reach rightful households. While technology flagged inconsistencies, final decisions on deletion were taken only after physical verification by the states. The ministry added that the exercise remains ongoing and beneficiary lists will continue to be reviewed.
