A large number of families belonging to economically weaker sections in the national capital are in for relief as the city government led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has started the process issuing new ration cards. The process was put on hold for the past 13 years.
Addressing a press conference here, Chief Minister Gupta said on Thursday that starting 15 May, fresh applications for new ration cards are being accepted through an e-portal. The government has initiated a completely transparent system for the purpose.
She said the entire process will be online. All eligible candidates can go to their nearest service center and apply online for a ration card. Nearly 8 lakh will be benefitted from the initiative with pending ration card cases will now be resolved faster.
Gupta said the new ration card drive was inspired from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Antyodaya Vision, which translates into the extending support to enable the rise of the last person in line. She urged the eligible and needy families to apply for the new ration cards as the Delhi government is implementing PM Modi’s vision to ensure that welfare benefits reach those who genuinely need them the most.
The CM said online applications for new ration cards and for adding family members have been opened through the e-District portal (edistrict.delhigovt.nic.in).
Notably, the older applications, submitted in the past, have also been returned to applicants through their login profiles, and now the applicants can update and resubmit them with a valid family income certificate, and required documents.
The government has also carried out a comprehensive audit of the public distribution system after assuming office uncovering large-scale irregularities, the CM said, adding that a total of 7,71,384 ineligible and bogus beneficiaries were identified.
She informed that 6,46,123 beneficiaries were found to be above the prescribed income limit and therefore ineligible for subsidised ration.
Another 95,682 beneficiaries had not availed ration for more than a year, and in the 6,185 cases, the names of deceased persons continued to remain on ration records, while 23,394 beneficiaries were found to be drawing benefits from multiple locations. With these ineligible names removed, nearly 7.72 lakh vacancies have opened up in the system, paving the way for new eligible beneficiaries to receive ration cards.
Gupta also informed that Delhi government has implemented the Delhi Food Security Rules, 2026, giving effect to the provisions of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013. According to her, the traditional weighing machines at fair-price shops now have been replaced with electronic weighing machines, while biometric authentication is now necessary for Ration distribution.
Earlier, the family income details were accepted largely on the basis of self-declarations, due to which ineligible people also entered the system, while real needy people were often left.
Under the new framework, applicants will have to submit Aadhaar cards, proof of residence, the latest income certificate and Aadhaar details of all family members, ensuring accurate verification.
In the first stage, Food and Supply Officers will digitally scrutinise applications and documents, with field verification conducted wherever necessary, then in the second stage, verified applications will be examined by the Assistant Commissioner, and then the final decision will be taken by a district-level committee headed by the District Magistrate and comprising two local MLAs.
Once approved, ration cards will be generated digitally and can be downloaded directly from the portal.
The Chief Minister also said the annual family income eligibility limit for ration cards has already been increased from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.20 lakh under the Delhi Food Security Rules, 2026, with the objective of bringing more poor and middle-class families under the welfare net.
She added that the government is considering raising the limit further to Rs 2.50 lakh, and the discussions at the Cabinet level have been positive, with the final decision expected soon.