Ration Card

What is Ration Card

Ration Card is a government-approved document that helps you in purchasing items such as food, grains, kerosene, etc. at subsidized rates. A card has been extremely helpful to those who are not so financially well off or belong to below poverty line (BPL) group and would find it difficult to purchase food items. Apart from that, a ration card also acts as proof of identity and address and can be used for purposes such as applying for a domicile certificate, voter ID, etc.

Types of Ration Card

There are two types of Ration Card:

• White Ration Card: You can apply for a white ration card if you are above the poverty line. The white color indicates that you are a citizen of India who is above the poverty line.
• Blue/Red/Green/Yellow Ration Card: These types of cards are given to those who are below the poverty line. This ration card helps them in purchasing food items at subsidized rates.

List of Official Department of Food, Supplies and Consumer Affairs (PDS Portal)

State	Official Site
Andaman and Nicobar Islands	https://dcsca.andaman.gov.in
Andhra Pradesh	https://ap.meeseva.gov.in
Arunachal Pradesh	http://www.arunfcs.gov.in
Bihar	http://sfc.bihar.gov.in
Chattisgarh	https://khadya.cg.nic.in
Dadra and Nagar Haveli	http://epds.nic.in
Delhi	https://edistrict.delhigovt.nic.in
Gujarat	https://www.digitalgujarat.gov.in
Haryana	http://saralharyana.gov.in
Himachal Pradesh	http://admis.hp.nic.in
Jammu and Kashmir	http://jkfcsca.gov.in
Jharkhand	https://pds.jharkhand.gov.in
Karnataka	https://ahara.kar.nic.in
Kerala	http://ecitizen.civilsupplieskerala.gov.in
Maharashtra	https://rcms.mahafood.gov.in
Mizoram	https://fcsca.mizoram.gov.in
Odisha	http://www.foododisha.in
Punjab	http://punjab.gov.in
Tripura	https://fcatripura.gov.in
Uttar Pradesh	https://fcs.up.gov.in
West Bengal	https://wbpds.gov.in

Eligibility Criteria to Apply for a Ration Card

There are certain eligibility criteria you will have to fulfill:

• No person has applied for a ration card on your behalf
• No member of your family has applied for a ration card
• Should be a citizen of India

List of Documents Required to Apply for Ration Card

• State Application form
• Identify proof (Election Id, Driving License, Passport, Government Id Card)
• Residence proof (Electricity Bill, Telephone Bill, LPG Receipt, Bank Passbook, Rental Agreement)
• Photograph of the head of the family
• The annual income of the applicant
• Canceled/surrendered ration card if any

How to Apply for a Ration card

There are various ways:

Online

• You can visit the official website of the Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department of the state in which you reside. You can apply by providing the required documents and filling the application form. You can then submit the form post which a representative from the department will get in touch with you and assist you with the process. If all the documents submitted by you are correct, then the ration card will be sent to your communication address.
• Various third-party websites assist you by helping you fill the application form and uploading the necessary documents. You can visit the website and once you submit the form and upload the required documents you can then expect to receive the ration card

Offline

• There is a format according to which you can send an SMS to the Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department of the state in which you reside. You will then receive a message instructing you to follow the procedure to apply for a ration card. You can find the details of the process on the official website of your state government.
• You can also find the toll-free number or the customer care number on the state government website which you can use to know the process you will have to follow to apply for a card.
• You can also visit the Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department of the state in which you reside along with all the necessary documents and apply for a ration card by submitting the application form and all the necessary documents.

How to Check Ration Card Application status

• You can check the status of your card by visiting the official website of the Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department of the state
• Generally, under E-services on the website, you will find the option of checking the status of your ration card application status
• Either you will be shown a list that will contain the names of the people who have recently applied for a card and the status, or you will have to enter your credentials and log in. Once you have logged in, you will be able to check the application status of your card.

How to Download and Print your Ration Card online

Once your application has been approved you can download the card and print it for future use. You can use your credentials to log in to the portal on the government website and check the status of your application. Once it has been approved, you will find the option of downloading or printing the card. The printed version of the ration card will contain all the necessary details and you can use it to purchase food items for yourself at subsidized rates.

Benefits of Ration Card

A Ration card is quite possibly the main archives in India. The proportion card is primarily utilized for buying sponsored foodstuffs and fuel. It is utilized in identification measure while making visas, PAN cards, Aadhar cards and goes about as a location verification for residents of India. It additionally gives the association government data set. This card is an advantage given for residents who have low edge pay and can’t bear the cost of the costs for fundamental wares like food, oil. It is in no way, shape, or form implied for everybody in the country.

Ration Cards/Beneficiaries under NFSA

Andhra Pradesh	A & N Islands	Arunachal Pradesh
Assam	Bihar	Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh	Dadra & Nagar Haveli	Daman & Diu
Delhi	Goa	Gujarat
Haryana	Himachal Pradesh	Jammu & Kashmir
Jharkhand	Karnataka	Kerala
Lakshadweep	Madhya Pradesh	Maharashtra
Manipur	Meghalaya	Mizoram
Nagaland	Odisha	Puducherry
Punjab	Rajasthan	Sikkim
Tamil Nadu	Telangana	Tripura
Uttar Pradesh	Uttarakhand	West Bengal

Smart Ration Card Scheme under NFSA

• No. of beneficiaries 1.42 Crore
• Eldest Woman will be the family head.
• Wheat will be given at Rs. 2/- per KG.
• The Biannual entitlement of wheat will be given at one go.
• The distribution will be done at the doorstep of the beneficiary directly by the department.
• The beneficiary gets to keep the wheat bags in which he gets the grains.
• The beneficiaries are de-duplicated based on Aaadhar.
• The beneficiary can go to the consumer court if he does not get wheat as per his entitlement.
• Wheat will be delivered in 30 kg standard packing.
• The department officials, Beneficiary, Transporter, Gram Panchayat, Nigrani Committee – all will work in coordination for disbursement of wheat.
• No upper cap. Every member gets five kg of wheat per month

All India Allocation vs. Offtake (Dec 2020) Under TDPS Schemes

PDS Commodity Rates (Rs./Kg.)

ANDHRA PRADESH
Scheme	Wheat	Rice	Sugar
APL	7	–	–
BPL	7	2	13.5
AAY	–	2	13.5
Annapoorna	–	0	–
SIKKIM
Scheme	Wheat	Rice	Sugar
APL	6.8	6.17	26
BPL	6.8	4	26
AAY	6.8	3	26
LAKSHADWEEP
Scheme	Wheat	Rice	Sugar
APL	–	10.4	13.5
BPL	–	6.15	13.5
AAY	–	3	13.5
Annapoorna	–	0	13.5
BIHAR
Scheme	Wheat	Rice	Sugar
APL	7	9.05	–
BPL	5.22	6.78	13.5
AAY	2	3	–
JAMMU AND KASHMIR
Scheme	Wheat	Rice	Sugar
APL	7.25	10	13.5
BPL	4.8	6.4	13.5
AAY	2	3	13.5
KERALA
Scheme	Wheat	Rice	Sugar
APL	6.7	8.9	–
BPL	2	1	13.5
AAY	–	1	13.5
Annapoorna	–	0	–
Haryana
Scheme	Wheat	Rice	Sugar
APL	–	–	–
BPL	4.88	–	13.5
AAY	2.12	–	13.5

Apply for Ration Card in the Other States of India

Andhra Pradesh	A & N Islands	Arunachal Pradesh
Chhattisgarh	Bihar	Gujarat
Delhi	Dadra & Nagar Haveli	West Bengal
Jharkhand	Haryana	Jammu & Kashmir
Punjab	Himachal Pradesh	Mizoram
Odisha	Karnataka	Kerala
Uttar Pradesh	Tripura	Maharashtra

FAQS

✅ What is a Ration Card?

Ration Card is a government-approved document that helps people who are below the poverty line in purchasing items at subsidized rates. It also acts as proof of identity and address and can be used for purposes such as applying for a domicile certificate, voter ID, etc.

✅ What are the types of Ration Cards Available?

A citizen of India who is well above the poverty line can avail a white Ration Card when they are above penury while a citizen of India who is below the poverty line can opt for a Red/ Green or Yellow Ration Card.

✅ What are the Documents Required for Applying for a Card?

The required enclosures for Applying for Card are a scanned copy of the Aadhaar Card, Age Certificate, Bank Passbook, Family Income Proof, Valid Phone number and ID, Previous Electricity Bill, one passport size photograph, and Identity Documents.

✅ What are the methods of Applying for a Ration Card?

To apply online for the card contenders should go to the official website to download the application form or grab the form from the nearest department office while on the other hand if one wishes to apply for the Card Offline then you can send an SMS to the Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department. You will then receive a message instructing you to follow the procedure to apply for a ration card. You can find the details of the process on the official website of your state government.

✅ Who is Eligible to Apply for a Card?

A resident who is a citizen of India and none of his family members should have applied for the Card or even someone on behalf of him should not have applied for the same.

✅ What are the Serviced provided by the Department of Civil Supplies, Government?

Rice, Wheat, Levy Sugar, and Kerosene are the rationed articles supplied through the ration shops to the cardholders in the state under the Public Distribution System (PDS).