Link Your Ration Card with Aadhaar: Methods

A Ration card is an official document issued by the respective state government to the citizens of India who are eligible for subsidized food, grain, and gasoline under the National Food Security Act (NSFA).

The ration cards under NSFA are issued in two categories:

• Priority Household (PHH) Ration Cards
• Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) Ration cards

A Ration card ensures food security by distributing essential commodities through fair-price shops under Public Distribution System (PDS) to eligible candidates residing anywhere in the country.

How to Link Ration Card with Aadhaar?

To maintain the efficiency and transparency of the system and prevent fraudulent activities along with availing some additional benefits, the government wants you to link your Aadhaar to a Ration card. Following are the ways to do it:

• Link ration card with Aadhaar card Online
• Link ration card with Aadhaar card Offline
• Link ration card with Aadhaar card through SMS

Let’s discuss each of these ways to learn the best-suited method

Steps to Link Ration Card with Aadhaar Online Process:

• Visit the official PDS website of your respective state.
• Enter your Ration card number.
• Enter your unique 12-digit Aadhaar number.
• Provide your registered mobile number.
• Click the continue/submit button to proceed to the next step.
• An OTP will be generated, and you will receive it on your registered mobile number.
• Provide the generated OTP to submit your request to link the Ration card with your Aadhaar.

Steps to Link Ration Card with Aadhaar Offline:

• Collect and prepare all the necessary documents, such as photocopies of Ration card and
• Aadhaar card of family members.
• Carry a passport-size photograph of the family head.
• If your bank account is not linked to your Aadhaar, carry a copy of your bank passbook.
• Visit your nearest Ration shop or PDS office and submit all these documents.
• The representative at the office might ask you for your fingerprint identification for first-time Aadhaar authentication.

Once the documents are submitted successfully, you will receive a notification through SMS or mail. After that, when the Aadhaar is successfully linked to the Ration card, you will be notified accordingly.

List of the Documents Necessary to Link a Ration Card with Aadhaar:

• Carry a photocopy of the original Ration card along with an original card for on-site verification.
• Carry photocopies of Aadhaar cards of all the family members.
• Carry a photocopy of the Aadhaar card of the head of the family.
• Carry passport-size photos of the head of the family.
• A copy of the bank passbook if the Aadhaar is not linked to your bank account.

Steps to Link Ration Card with Aadhaar through SMS:

How can you check whether your Ration card is linked to your Aadhaar card or not?

• To link your Ration card with your Aadhaar card through SMS, type in the text box ‘UID SEED State Short Code> Scheme/Program Short Code> Scheme/Program ID> Aadhaar Number>’, for example, ‘UID SEED MH POSC 9876543 123478789012’.
• Send this text to 51969.
• Thereafter, you will receive notifications regarding the receipt of information, successful verification, and ultimately the status of the successful linking of the Ration card with Aadhaar.

How can you check whether your Ration card is linked to your Aadhaar card or not?

• Download the ‘Mera ration’ application from Playstore.
• Click on the ‘Aadhaar Seeding’ option.
• Select ‘Ration card no.’ and enter it in the box.
• Click Submit to proceed.

You will get the results showing complete details of your Ration card along with the Aadhaar seeding status of all members.

You can also check Aadhaar-Ration linking status by visiting the National Food Security Portal.

Why is it important to link Ration card with Aadhaar card?

• It eliminates ineligible cardholders and bogus users from misemploying government schemes designed for the betterment of poverty-stricken people.
• Linking Ration cards to Aadhaar cards helps to avoid the duplicity of ration cards so one household cannot obtain more than one card to avail of the subsidies.
• With the integration of biometric identification through linking Ration-Aadhaar, the PDS system can become more efficient, identify real beneficiaries, and improve the overall distribution process.
• It helps to strengthen the ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme of the government, where one beneficiary of a state can avail of the subsidies from the PDS of other states under this scheme.
• Aadhaar-Ration card linking allows for establishing an audit trail within the system to find leaks and diversions, helping to detect and eliminate corrupt middlemen and prevent fraudulent activities to improve the overall system’s efficiency.

Benefits of linking Aadhaar and Ration Card

There are numerous benefits of linking Aadhaar with Ration Card. They are:

1. The risk of fake and duplicate ration cards will be dealt with. This means that the subsidies will reach the people they are meant for. 
2. Enables targeted delivery of government welfare schemes by authenticating identities and preventing fraud. 
3. Streamlines the verification process for accessing subsidised food grains through the Public Distribution System (PDS).
4. Linking Aadhaar with Ration Card promotes financial inclusion by facilitating direct benefit transfers of subsidies to bank accounts linked with Aadhaar.
5. Provides accurate data on beneficiaries for the government to better manage resources and plan policies.
6. Creates an audit trail in the PDS to reduce corruption and increase transparency.

Linking Aadhaar with Ration Card makes the public distribution system more efficient, targeted and accountable.

Wrapping Up

As a preventative measure for duplicity and ineligible beneficiaries and a step towards curbing corruption, the government has made it mandatory to link a Ration card with Aadhaar to avail the benefits of obtaining subsidized items from Public Distribution shops (PDS) to avoid duplicity and maintain the efficiency of the system.

Recently, the deadline to do so has been extended to September 30th. So, visit your nearest PDS office or their official website today to get your Ration card linked to Aadhaar.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What if I do not link my Aadhaar card to my ration card?

If you do not link your Aadhaar with Ration Card, you may face issues accessing subsidised food through the Public Distribution System (PDS). The government mandates this linkage to ensure benefits reach the intended beneficiaries and to reduce fraud.

2. How do I check if my Aadhaar card is linked to my ration card?

To check if your Aadhaar card is linked to your ration card, visit your nearest Public Distribution System (PDS) office. Present your Aadhaar with Ration Card, and the representative will verify the linkage using your biometric fingerprint.

3. Can I use my Aadhaar card to download my ration card?

Link Aadhaar with Ration Card; you cannot directly download your ration card using your Aadhaar card. However, you can access your ration card details through the official PDS website or mobile app, where you may need to enter your ration card number and other details.

4. Can I link my Aadhaar card to my ration card online?

Yes, you can link your Aadhaar with Ration Card online. Visit the official PDS website, select the linking option, enter your details, and follow the prompts to complete the process. You will get an OTP on your registered mobile number, which is needed for verification.

5. What if my mobile number is not linked to my Aadhaar card?

If your mobile number is not linked to your Aadhaar card, you will not receive OTPs for online services. After you link Aadhaar with Ration Card, you can update your mobile number at an Aadhaar enrollment centre or through the official UIDAI website to ensure you can access all services.

6. Can I link Aadhaar to my ration card at home?

Yes, you can link your Aadhaar with Ration Card from home using the online method. Visit the official PDS website, complete the required details, and submit the form. Make sure your mobile number is linked to receive the OTP for verification.

7. What is e-KYC in a ration card?

e-KYC (Electronic Know Your Customer) in ration cards is a digital verification process that uses Aadhaar authentication to confirm the identity of beneficiaries. You must link Aadhaar with Ration Card as this helps streamline the distribution of subsidies and ensures that only eligible individuals receive benefits.

8. How to check Aadhaar linking status?

To check your Aadhaar with Ration Card linking status, visit the UIDAI website and use the “Check Aadhaar Linking Status” option. You may need to enter your Aadhaar number and other details. Alternatively, you can check through your bank’s online services if linked with your bank account.