Govt’s new food security rules to focus on quota, eligibility

New Delhi: Aiming to reform the food distribution system, the Delhi government is planning to issue ration cards based on district quotas determined by population, a senior government official said on Thursday. In the national capital, ration is distributed through e-PoS (Point of Sale) devices after biometric (Aadhaar) authentication of beneficiaries.

“Under the new rules (Delhi Food Security Rules, 2025), the Delhi government will be allocating ration card quotas based on each district’s population. For now, the existing census will be the guide,” the official said. The Delhi government will also be verifying ration card holders to weed out ineligible beneficiaries, aiming to benefit those truly in need.

Earlier, in a high-level review meeting headed by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, a new policy, Delhi Food Security Rules, 2025, was approved, which includes a ‘family income certificate’ to establish eligibility. Additionally, the official informed that “it was proposed in the meeting that a multi-layered grievance redressal system be established at the circle level, district level and state level.”

The government has also identified around 23,394 duplicate food security beneficiaries and about 95,682 ‘silent beneficiaries’ -- individuals who are in the system for a long time without availing any benefits, as per a government document.