Ration Denied: Millions of the Most Vulnerable Left Without Food Security

Ration Denied: “Should We Just Die Like Insects and Worms?”

Radha, a 42-year-old daily wage worker from Lucknow, has been living in a shanty in Jhilmil Colony, Delhi, for several years. Despite the dire circumstances she faces, Radha and her family have been denied a ration card, a basic entitlement meant to provide subsidised food under India’s Public Distribution System (PDS). Radha earns around 400 rupees on the days she is fortunate enough to find work, but regular employment remains elusive.

However, her primary struggle is not just finding work but securing a rationcard. "I have an Aadhaar card, but whenever I go to get the rationcard, they always tell me that though I am eligible for it, I have to wait for it. It will be made when it is made for others also," Radha says in an interview with The Probe. Despite being from an extremely impoverished background, Radha still does not have access to the free rations the government claims to provide to the poor.

Her frustration grows as she describes the horrific conditions in her neighbourhood. "I have two daughters. How do I feed them? I don’t have a regular source of employment. There is no water to drink. We don’t have toilets here. You can see the condition of the mobile toilets installed by the government. If you go to those toilets, you will fall sick. Should we just die like insects and worms in our shanties? Is this what the government wants? In this day and age, should we walk into the forest to relieve ourselves? Isn’t the government supposed to provide us with these basic necessities?” Radha questions, clearly exasperated by the government's indifference to their suffering.

Her husband, Ravindra Kumar, suffers from vision-related problems, which drain the family's meager income for medical treatment. “Because of my health issue, I am unable to earn income for the family. It is my wife who goes out for daily wage work. But she gets work on some days, and most of the days, she doesn’t get work. How do we survive?” says Kumar.

The family’s minimal income goes toward Kumar's medical expenses, leaving them with nothing to spare for food or basic necessities. Despite their dire situation, they have been waiting for a rationcard for years. "We tried a lot to get the card. The local authorities have told us that it will be made, but we have to wait. We have been waiting for many years now," Kumar laments.

Radha and Kumar’s story is far from unique. Like them, there are crores of Indians who are in desperate need of food but are effectively denied food security. According to the government, approximately 81.35 crore people are entitled to receive benefits through the Public Distribution System (PDS). Yet, more than 13 crore people in need of rations remain excluded from the system, due to the government's reliance on outdated 2011 census data for determining eligibility.

Exposing How Even Among the 81.35 Crore Beneficiaries, Ration Access Is Being Denied

According to the government, around 81.35 crore people benefit from the Public Distribution System (PDS) across the country, receiving subsidised food through 5.45 lakh Fair Price Shops (FPSs). While these numbers seem impressive, a closer look reveals a serious gap in the coverage that leaves millions of people without access to food security. Experts estimate that over 13 crore people who need food are being denied rations because the central government still uses the outdated 2011 census data to determine state-wise coverage.

The National Food Security Act (NFSA), enacted in 2013, was intended to ensure access to affordable food for the country’s most vulnerable populations. Under the NFSA, the government set a target to cover up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). This framework is designed to provide subsidised food grains to approximately 67% of India's total population. However, the reliance on the 2011 census data for allocation of rationcards has caused major issues, as the country’s population has grown considerably since then, and many new households are now excluded from the system.

Despite the increasing number of people in need of food security, the government’s use of outdated population figures has failed to expand the coverage to meet the growing demands of the population. This gap is further compounded by delays in implementing the NFSA effectively, leaving millions of eligible beneficiaries without access to the promised support.

The implications of this discrepancy are severe, especially as hunger and food insecurity continue to affect vulnerable groups across the country. Migrant workers, daily wage earners, and those in informal sectors are among the hardest hit, with many unable to secure rationcards due to outdated eligibility data. As a result, these individuals are often left to fend for themselves, struggling to meet their basic nutritional needs.

The government’s recent push for E-KYC verification for all ration-cardholders under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) has caused widespread distress, especially for those already grappling with poverty and hardship. Among them is Sujatha, a 52-year-old from JJ Colony in Delhi, who, despite receiving rations for years, found herself unable to access food for her family due to the government’s new directive. 

"I have seven members in my family. After the lockdown, my husband lost his job and we have been doing menial work for survival. As soon as we got the message that we must get our rationcards verified otherwise we will not be eligible for ration, we went to the ration shop multiple times. First there were long queues, and our turn never came. Then, when we returned, they said not all family members were present. We went again with all family members, only to be told the machine was not working. Finally, we were told that our fingerprints did not match," Sujatha recounts, detailing the multiple failed attempts that left her family without rations for months.

"During those months when we had no ration, I often had to go without food so that my children could eat," says Sujatha. Sujatha’s story is not an isolated case. Across the country, cardholders are struggling to comply with the government’s mandatory E-KYC process, facing delays, technical glitches, and bureaucratic hurdles. The government's failure to update the census, coupled with its rushed implementation of the E-KYC system, has left millions of existing beneficiaries at risk of being excluded from the NFSA’s food security net.

Reports from various states reveal that people are being pressured into traveling back to their villages, only to face threats of ration stoppage if they fail to complete the E-KYC process. People have received SMS notifications or phone calls, instructing them to visit their nearest ration-shops with their entire family to undergo biometric authentication via POS machines. Shopkeepers have been informing beneficiaries that failure to comply will result in a denial of food grains. 

The government’s attempt to implement E-KYC without providing adequate information or a clear framework has only worsened the situation. Many ration-cardholders have been left in the dark about the deadline, process, and consequences, fueling widespread anxiety. Furthermore, the decision to empower shopkeepers to carry out E-KYC raises serious concerns. Shopkeepers, whose role is limited to food grain distribution, are now being tasked with verifying beneficiaries, despite having no jurisdiction over rationcard issuance or cancellation. 

This situation exposes a disturbing pattern: while millions remain excluded from the NFSA due to the government’s failure to conduct the 2021 census, resources are being diverted to create more obstacles for those who already have rationcards. The consequences of these actions are felt most acutely by the marginalised, who continue to bear the brunt of a failing system.

There are also several implementation issues and challenges related to the existing ration being provided to beneficiaries. “At the level of the fair price shop, many dealers are engaging in corruption. Many are indulging in doing quantity fraud. Tens of thousands of people have said that they are getting less quantity. There are problems related to fingerprints not matching. People are facing multiple issues with the E-KYC procedures. The One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) system is not working.” states Raj Shekhar Singh, Member of the Right to Food Campaign. 

ONORC, aimed at providing migrant workers and their families with access to food security across the country, is facing deep-rooted challenges. While the initiative was intended to ensure that beneficiaries can collect rations from any fair price shop (FPS) across India, many individuals continue to face obstacles in accessing their entitled benefits. 

“A major problem is the technical glitches and delays in the implementation of the e-KYC process, which has led to rationcards being deactivated for large numbers of beneficiaries. In many cases, migrants and their families are unable to access food grains because of these administrative and procedural hurdles. Additionally, the system has not been able to address regional discrepancies, with some states failing to update their databases or link the data properly with the central government’s system. As a result, many eligible beneficiaries are left without access to food, particularly those who have migrated across state lines. The lack of adequate infrastructure and awareness among the poorest sections of society also makes it difficult for them to navigate the system. For migrant workers, who often don’t have fixed addresses, the process becomes even more challenging, as they are frequently unable to find the right rationshop that recognises their card. These gaps in the system have left countless families without the food security they desperately need,” states Singh.

In the 2024-25 Union Budget, the Indian government made a significant cut to the food subsidy allocation, reducing it by 7.8% to ₹3.81 lakh crore, down from ₹4.14 lakh crore in the previous year. This decision has raised alarms, especially among advocates for the country's most vulnerable populations, about the government's commitment to ensuring food security for its citizens. With rising food prices and a growing economic divide, this reduction could seriously intensify the struggle for affordable food.

The timing of the food subsidy cut is particularly concerning, as India is currently facing high food inflation. The soaring costs of essential commodities have already strained government-funded school meal programs, leaving many children from low-income families without adequate nutrition. This growing financial burden, coupled with a reduction in subsidies, could push millions further into food insecurity.

Experts argue that in such challenging times, the government should prioritise food security by maintaining or even increasing the food subsidy allocation.

As the government continues to implement food security programs aimed at ensuring no one goes hungry, a critical question has emerged: what about the homeless? Experts are raising concerns that the current system, despite its expansive reach, excludes some of the most vulnerable people in society.

Singh highlights the stark reality faced by those living on the streets. "Our country has so many homeless people. They obviously don’t have an address, an Aadhaar card, or any other documentary proof. They are lying on the streets without a roof over their heads," he says. "Isn’t it the government’s responsibility to provide these most vulnerable populations access to food? But the problem is that the entire system is designed in such a way that the documentation is so cumbersome, it becomes an exclusionary tactic."

The issue lies in the complex documentation requirements that are part of India’s Public Distribution System. For people without permanent addresses or formal identification, the bureaucratic hurdles are insurmountable. As a result, many homeless individuals are unable to access the very food and resources they desperately need.

Government Blatantly Violating SC Order to Provide Ration to 8 Crore Migrant Workers

In 2023, the Supreme Court of India took a clear stance: ensure that 8 crore migrant workers, who are registered on the eShram portal but are not covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), receive rationcards. The government, however, has been sitting on this directive, failing to deliver. This inaction continues to expose the stark contrast between the SC's orders and the government’s response.

Despite the court’s 2023 direction to issue rationcards to these workers, the government failed to act. By March 2024, the Court had grown impatient. The delay was unacceptable. In an unequivocal warning, the Court set another six-week deadline for the states and Union Territories to comply or face personal accountability in the form of an appearance before the Court. Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah’s words couldn’t have been clearer: “Hungry cannot wait.”

But the government remained unmoved. In October 2024, the Supreme Court was forced to issue another rebuke, reiterating its demand for action. Yet, when the matter was revisited in November 2024, the Union Government’s stance remained unchanged. It argued that it is only obligated to provide rationcards within the limitations of the NFSA, which uses 2011 census data to define its coverage. The government continued to justify its refusal to extend rationcard benefits, citing fiscal concerns about expanding the scope of the NFSA beyond this 2011 ceiling. The message was clear: the government would rather stick to outdated census data than meet the growing needs of millions of poor.

This reasoning is more than a bureaucratic obstacle. It is a political calculation designed to avoid expanding welfare programs, which the government has consistently failed to update or implement. Despite the SC's repeated orders to issue rationcards, which directly impact millions of the country’s most vulnerable, the government continues to deflect responsibility. The government argues that the ceiling on NFSA beneficiaries, set based on the 2011 Census, is non-negotiable, but fails to address how the population has increased significantly since then—an issue made worse by the failure to conduct the 2021 Census.

When the matter was again heard in December 2024, the Supreme Court was told by advocate Prashant Bhushan that the Court had issued six separate orders to issue rationcards to the migrant workers identified through the eShram portal. He pointed out that, despite these repeated orders, the government had not complied. The government’s defense was that 81.35 crore people were already receiving benefits under the NFSA, but that number is based on the 2011 Census data. The government continued to argue that any expansion would require updated census data—a delay that has lasted for years.

This continuous delay in providing rationcards is not just a technical issue; it is a matter of political will. While the government defends the ceiling on NFSA beneficiaries based on outdated data, it has failed to explore options like increasing budgetary allocations to accommodate more beneficiaries. With over 30 crore unorganised workers now registered on the e-Shram portal, the gap in coverage is glaring, yet only a fraction of them have been included in the rationcard database.

As of 2024, India's Global Hunger Index (GHI) score is 27.3, categorising the country’s hunger situation as "serious." India ranks 105th out of 127 countries. The statistics reveal continuous failure from the part of the government to address widespread hunger and malnutrition in the country. The government’s failure to act on the Supreme Court's orders is a clear violation of its duty to its citizens, especially when so many are already struggling to meet basic needs. The government’s continued refusal to provide adequate support for the poor reflects a disturbing indifference to the lives of millions, while the SC is left to pick up the slack.

When we approached the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution for details regarding the implementation of the Supreme Court's order on providing ration to eight crore migrant workers and addressing other systemic challenges, we were informed that the matter is currently before the apex court. The government has stated that it will provide all necessary details to the Supreme Court as required. We will update this story as soon as we receive more information from the ministry.

With special inputs from Sudip Ghosh