Srinagar, Mar 25 (KNO): The Government of India (GoI) on Wednesday said that Jammu & Kashmir has witnessed large-scale deletion of ration cards since 2014 as part of a nationwide drive to streamline the Public Distribution System (PDS) and ensure benefits reach genuine beneficiaries.
Replying to a query in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya, as reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said deletions were carried out due to duplication, Aadhaar seeding, migration, deaths and identification of ineligible households.
As per official data, Jammu & Kashmir recorded the following year-wise deletion of ration cards: 2014: 64,079; 2015: 22,903; 2016: 50,709; 2017: 18,965; 2018: 82,394; 2019: 60,333; 2020: 61,265; 2021: 1,04,511; 2022: 75,137; 2023: 64,122; 2024: 73,875; and 2025: 69,102.
A total of 7,47,395 ration cards were deleted in Jammu & Kashmir between 2014 and 2025 as part of the PDS clean-up drive.
The data indicates that over 7 lakh ration cards have been deleted in J&K during the period, with major clean-up drives undertaken, particularly after digitisation and Aadhaar-based verification of beneficiaries.
The minister said that under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), identification of beneficiaries is the responsibility of the J&K administration, which frames its own eligibility criteria.
To safeguard genuine beneficiaries, the government has strengthened grievance redressal mechanisms through toll-free helplines and digital platforms such as the Mera Ration App, enabling users to check entitlements and lodge complaints.
Authorities have also been directed to ensure the timely disposal of grievances to avoid exclusion of deserving households—(KNO)