Examiner Bureau | Jammu:
Amid confusion among ration card holders over the reported introduction of mandatory face authentication for drawing ration under the Public Distribution System (PDS), Commissioner Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA), Sourabh Bhagat, has clarified that beneficiaries are not required to use face authentication and can collect their entitled ration through any of the four available Aadhaar-based authentication methods.
Bhagat said the Aadhaar-enabled authentication system, which has been operational since around 2020, was introduced to improve transparency in ration distribution, prevent diversion and black marketing of foodgrains and ensure that supplies reach genuine beneficiaries.
He said the system initially relied on thumb-based biometric authentication but had subsequently been expanded to provide three additional options: iris scanning, one-time password (OTP) verification and face authentication.
“Earlier, there was only one methodology, which was thumb authentication. Now we have introduced three more technologies. One is iris scan, which is unique and can identify a beneficiary. The second is OTP authentication, under which an OTP is received on the beneficiary’s mobile phone and can be shared with the dealer for receiving ration. The third is face authentication,” Bhagat said.
Clarifying the confusion surrounding the new facility, he stressed that face authentication was not compulsory and beneficiaries could choose any one of the four methods according to their convenience and circumstances.
The Commissioner Secretary also dismissed the misconception that only the head of a ration card-holding household could authenticate and collect ration. He said any adult member of the family could visit a Fair Price Shop (FPS) and receive the entitled supplies on behalf of the household.
“If the father cannot go to the ration shop, the mother can go. If she cannot go, the son, daughter, brother or sister can collect the ration. Any adult member of the family can do it,” he said, adding that minor children should not be sent alone to collect ration.
Explaining the purpose of providing multiple authentication options, Bhagat said the facilities were intended to ensure that beneficiaries did not face difficulties because of physical limitations or problems with a particular biometric method.
He said people unable to use thumb-based authentication, including those who had lost their right hand, could opt for face authentication. OTP verification was another alternative for households whose members faced difficulty visiting the ration depot personally.
Citing an example of a household comprising a mother and two daughters, he said the OTP facility could help complete the authentication process through a mobile phone with the assistance of the dealer.
Bhagat said messages circulating in WhatsApp groups claiming that face authentication had become compulsory had created unnecessary apprehensions among ration card holders.
He alleged that some people opposed to changes in the existing ration distribution mechanism were spreading misinformation and raising objections to the technology-based system.
Explaining the rationale behind Aadhaar-based authentication, Bhagat said the digital mechanism enabled the department to monitor the quantity of foodgrains allocated to Fair Price Shop dealers and the actual number of beneficiaries who collected their ration.
He said the computerised system maintained records of transactions and helped identify discrepancies between the quantity supplied to a dealer and the ration distributed to beneficiaries.
“For example, if a dealer receives four quintals of ration for 500 beneficiaries but only 300 collect their supplies through Aadhaar authentication, the system will show that the remaining 200 have not collected their ration. The system scrutinises everything. This is how the mechanism ensures accountability,” he said.
Bhagat alleged that the strengthened monitoring arrangements had restricted the scope for misappropriation and diversion of foodgrains. He said complaints relating to poor internet connectivity, failure of thumb authentication and other technical difficulties should be addressed through the available alternatives rather than by discontinuing the authentication mechanism.
He described the system as part of the broader Sarthak PDS initiative of the Government of India, aimed at strengthening accountability and improving the functioning of the Public Distribution System.
According to Bhagat, the technology is being implemented in different states, while Jammu and Kashmir has also introduced face authentication as an additional facility.
He said face recognition generally takes around 40 to 50 seconds at a Fair Price Shop. Under the process, the dealer enters the beneficiary’s details into the system, following which the beneficiary positions their face within a designated circle on the screen and blinks to complete authentication.
Bhagat also said the Government of India had increased the dealer margin for ration distribution in Jammu and Kashmir, the Northeastern states and other hilly states.
He said the margin had been enhanced from Rs 108 to Rs 195 per quintal, nearly doubling the earlier amount.
According to him, the increase was intended to ensure that dealers did not face financial difficulties while the government strengthened monitoring and authentication arrangements.
He said the earnings of dealers would depend on the quantity of ration distributed, adding that the revised margin would provide them with better financial support.
Bhagat maintained that the objective of the strengthened system was to ensure that genuine beneficiaries received their entitled foodgrains while preventing irregularities in distribution.
The clarification comes amid the FCS&CA Department’s wider efforts to strengthen Aadhaar-based e-KYC and introduce face authentication in ration distribution across Jammu and Kashmir.
During an online review meeting on November 5, Bhagat directed officials to intensify efforts to complete the e-KYC of pending beneficiaries and implement the Face Authentication Application from the current month’s ration distribution cycle.
The meeting was attended by Director General, FCS&CA, Jammu, Rajesh Kumar Shavan; the General Manager of the Food Corporation of India (FCI); Director IT Sanjay Gupta; Deputy Commissioners; and Assistant Directors from various districts.
The review covered foodgrain lifting and distribution, winter stocking arrangements, Aadhaar-based e-KYC, face authentication, implementation of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and other departmental priorities.
Bhagat directed officials to ensure that foodgrains were lifted and distributed well before the onset of adverse weather conditions, particularly in view of the approaching winter and the possibility of supply disruptions.
He stressed that six-month and three-month winter stocking requirements should be met within the prescribed timelines and asked FCI authorities to ensure the supply of quality foodgrains.
The Commissioner Secretary also reviewed the availability of petroleum products and directed district administrations to identify remote and far-flung areas without petrol pump facilities. He asked officials to explore suitable arrangements with Oil Marketing Companies for establishing department-owned petrol outlets to facilitate the public, particularly during emergencies.
Reviewing the implementation of the CBDC project under the PDS, Bhagat emphasised the need for coordinated efforts to meet the timelines prescribed by the Government of India.
The meeting was informed that the project was scheduled for pilot implementation in Jammu and Srinagar districts from November 15, 2026. The next phase would cover Samba, Kathua and Udhampur districts by November 30, followed by implementation across the Union Territory by December 31, 2026.
Bhagat directed district administrations and Assistant Directors to complete the necessary groundwork, including beneficiary data preparation and other implementation-related arrangements.
He also asked the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and Punjab National Bank (PNB) authorities to expedite beneficiary data validation and whitelisting, besides creating login IDs for Fair Price Shop dealers.
Reviewing Aadhaar-based e-KYC of National Food Security Act (NFSA) beneficiaries, Bhagat directed district administrations to intensify efforts to verify all remaining beneficiaries and organise special e-KYC camps across the districts.
He stressed that face authentication should be made available from the current month’s ration distribution cycle as an additional facility to strengthen transparency and facilitate seamless authentication at Fair Price Shops.
The Commissioner Secretary said districts achieving 95 per cent or higher e-KYC coverage would be suitably appreciated. He added that consolidated progress in beneficiary verification would also help the department approach the Government of India for additional funding and support for innovations under the Sarthak PDS project.
The status of e-KYC among migrant ration card holders was also reviewed, with directions to expedite pending cases.
As part of efforts to modernise the distribution network, Bhagat asked district administrations to identify five Fair Price Shops in each district for upgradation under a convergence plan involving the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and other applicable schemes.
He also directed officials to identify suitable land for additional granaries and government storage godowns, particularly in remote, far-flung and border areas.
He said strengthening storage infrastructure in these locations would help ensure uninterrupted availability of essential commodities during emergencies and adverse weather conditions, when transportation and supply chains could be disrupted.
The department’s stated focus, Bhagat said, was to combine technology, improved infrastructure and stronger monitoring to make the Public Distribution System more transparent, efficient and accessible to eligible households across Jammu and Kashmir.
