10 lakh people go without ration as e-KYC wrecks 'access' in Gujarat

New Indian Express

11-06-2025

AHMEDABAD: The National Food Security Act mandates the State to guarantee food access for every citizen, from the womb stage to adulthood. However, the system meant to safeguard this right in Gujarat is cracking.
Startling data from the State's own IPDS portal reveals that nearly 10 lakh beneficiaries were not able to receive ration during April, May, and June 2025, largely due to incomplete KYC formalities.
This massive lapse exposes the gap between policy promises and on-ground delivery, leaving lakhs of vulnerable citizens battling hunger amid bureaucratic barriers.
According to the Anna Suraksha Adhikar Abhiyan, the Centre's NDPS portal lists 3.82 crore beneficiaries in Gujarat. Yet, in the last three months, the number of actual beneficiaries has hovered between just 3.72 crore and 3.76 crore -- a shortfall of nearly 10 lakh people.
The primary culprit behind this exclusion? Delays and glitches in mandatory e-KYC. But that's not the only red flag. The growing number of silent ration cards adds another layer of crisis.
In the past three months alone, Gujarat has recorded over 4 lakh silent cards -- ration cards that get automatically deactivated if not used for three months.
Anna Suraksha Adhikar Abhiyan Coordinator Pankti Jog said 'On paper, it looks like people have stopped collecting rations. However, on the ground, families claim they were turned away by ration dealers due to incomplete e-KYC — leaving them without food and branded inactive by the system.'
'This raises a sharp and pressing question: if people are being denied ration due to e-KYC issues and then their cards are marked silent, who is accountable for pushing lakhs into involuntary hunger? With each ration card typically linked to three or more family members, the real number of affected individuals could be over a million,' she said.
In 2013, the Parliament passed the National Food Security Act (NFSA), aiming to bring every Indian, from children in Anganwadis to urban poor, under a legal food safety net.
It brought under its ambit flagship schemes like the Mid-Day Meal, Anganwadi nutrition, and the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Gujarat implemented the Act from April 1, 2016, promising subsidised grains — wheat at ₹2/kg, rice at ₹3/kg, and coarse grains at ₹1/kg — to 75% of its rural and 50% of its urban population. States were also allowed to expand this with pulses, gram, and oil for added nutrition.
The month-on-month data reveals the cracks widening. In March 2025, out of 76,94,736 ration cards, 3,72,92,987 beneficiaries. But by April, even with a marginal increase to 77,01,339 ration cards, the number of beneficiaries slightly dipped to 3,72,71,559.
May showed no major deviation, with 3,72,92,987 beneficiaries again, holding steady. However, the crisis exploded in June. Despite 73,99,129 ration cards in circulation, only 3,08,86,997 people received their entitlement. The burden of compliance fell squarely on the ration cardholders.