ExplainersExplainerVerified
One Nation, One Ration Card: how portable foodgrain access works across 36 states and UTs
A PIB backgrounder on the scheme, which records about 3.27 crore portability transactions a month.
Under the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme, a person entitled to subsidised foodgrain can collect it from any Fair Price Shop in the country, without getting a new ration card. The Department of Food and Public Distribution launched it in 2019, and a new PIB backgrounder sets out where it stands.
The numbers
According to the backgrounder:
- ONORC is in place in all 36 states and Union Territories, covering 100% of PMGKAY beneficiaries.
- It handles about 3.27 crore portability transactions every month.
- Since it began, it has recorded over 233 crore inter-state and intra-state transactions, distributing more than 614 lakh metric tonnes of foodgrain.
Who it helps
The scheme lets migrant workers and their families keep drawing their entitlements under the National Food Security Act after moving to another state. The Act sets the legal entitlement to subsidised grain; the Targeted Public Distribution System delivers it.
The system behind it
As of October 2026, ration card and beneficiary databases are 100% digitised, covering around 78.65 crore beneficiaries. Of 20.51 crore ration cards in the central system, 98.8% (20.27 crore) are linked to Aadhaar. E-KYC is done for 71.52 crore beneficiaries, or 91%, as on 30 September 2026.
Of 5.51 lakh Fair Price Shops, 99.8% have electronic point-of-sale devices. Supply chains are computerised in 31 states and UTs.
The release says data analytics flagged 5.95 crore suspicious records, leading to deletion of 2.58 crore duplicate or ineligible entries in the first round of "Rightful Targeting".
The Mera Ration app
The Mera Ration app, available in 13 languages, lets users check monthly entitlements and past transactions, verify Aadhaar-seeding, check eligibility for portability, register for ONORC, and find the nearest Fair Price Shop using GPS.
Funding
The SARTHAK-PDS umbrella scheme supports transport, handling and dealer margins, and runs until 31 March 2031.
Source: official release by the PIB Backgrounder, issued through the Press Information Bureau, Government of India (12 NOV 2026 11:48AM by PIB Delhi). Read the full official text: One Nation, One Ration Card.
How we verified this
VerifiedEvery fact, figure and quotation is taken from the official PIB release (Release ID 2335306) issued by the PIB Backgrounder on 12 NOV 2026 11:48AM by PIB Delhi; checked against the source on publication. Story written by BDT from that release; no outside facts added.
Sources
- 1.One Nation, One Ration Card — Press Information Bureau, Government of India
