E-Paper
Ration card freeze leaves many eligible families out of PDS in Ludhiana
Even after e-KYC relaxations, no fresh blue cards issued for 2-3 years as beneficiary cap remains unchanged
Even as the government has relaxed eligibility norms under the second phase of e-KYC verification, the continued freeze on issuing new ration cards in Ludhiana has left many eligible residents without access to subsidised foodgrains under the public distribution system (PDS).
Officials said no fresh notification has been issued for new blue card registrations in the district for the past two to three years. The halt has been linked to a cap on beneficiaries fixed under the PDS, based on outdated population estimates.
At present, around 16 lakh beneficiaries are covered under nearly 4.4 lakh ration cards in Ludhiana through about 1,600 fair price shops.
Department sources admitted that the number of beneficiaries has already exceeded the sanctioned allocation, leaving little room for further expansion.“The allocation is fixed as per population data. Over time, the number of beneficiaries has increased, but the quota has not been revised. That is why new cards are not being issued,” said a food inspector. The situation has raised questions as the government recently introduced relaxations under e-KYC Phase 2, giving existing beneficiaries more time and flexibility to complete verification.
Under the revised norms, income eligibility limits were expanded, allowing households earning up to ₹8 lakh annually to remain within the system, compared with stricter earlier thresholds.
The move was aimed at preventing genuine beneficiaries from being removed during verification.
However, officials said the relief applies only to existing cardholders and not to those seeking fresh inclusion.
“Verification is being done to clean the database, not to expand it. Until the overall cap is revised, new inclusions are unlikely,” a field officer said.
Ground impact: ‘Eligible but still excluded’
For thousands of daily wage earners and migrant workers, this has created a deadlock situation, where they qualify for subsidised foodgrain but cannot access it.
Raj Kumar, a construction worker, said, “We were told we are eligible, but without a ration card, we get nothing. We buy wheat from the market, which is expensive. Sometimes we cut down on food to manage.”
Sunita Devi, a domestic worker, said she has been trying to get a card made for over a year. “Every time we ask, they say cards are not being made. If there is no card, how will we get ration?” she said.
Policy gap widening despite reforms
Experts say the issue reflects a structural gap between eligibility and actual coverage.
Raising concern, Sartaaj Singh Cheema, district food and supplies controller (Ludhiana west), said that the situation is unlikely to change immediately, as fresh inclusion depends on updated population data. “At present, issuing new cards appears difficult.”
“However, with the upcoming Census exercise, being conducted after 2011, the government will get a clearer picture of how many people fall under each category.”
“Based on that, there may be some relief, and the process of issuing new cards could resume,” Cheema said, indicating that any policy shift would likely follow an updated demographic assessment.
Officials also pointed out that expanding coverage without updated population data would significantly increase the subsidy burden, making immediate policy changes unlikely.
No timeline for fresh inclusion
With no clarity on when new ration cards will be issued, the problem continues to grow, especially in urban areas where migration and population increase have outpaced policy updates.
As the system focuses on verification and tightening existing records, thousands in Ludhiana remain in a paradoxical situation: eligible on paper, but excluded in practice.
