New Delhi: The Indian government’s extensive digitisation drive has revolutionized the Public Distribution System (PDS), establishing global benchmarks for food security initiatives, the Union Food Ministry said on Wednesday.

Catering to 80.6 crore beneficiaries, the revamped system has eliminated 5.8 crore fake ration cards through Aadhaar-based authentication and eKYC verification, the ministry stated.

"These efforts have resulted in substantial reductions in leakages and enhanced targeting," it added.

Nearly all 20.4 crore ration cards have been digitised, with 99.8% linked to Aadhaar and 98.7% of beneficiaries’ credentials verified via biometric authentication.

The ministry has also deployed 5.33 lakh e-PoS devices at fair price shops nationwide to facilitate Aadhaar-based verification during distribution, ensuring accurate targeting of beneficiaries.

"Today Aadhaar authentication is used for distributing approximately 98 per cent of total foodgrains, reducing leakages to ineligible beneficiaries and mitigating any risk of pilferage," the statement emphasized. Additionally, the eKYC initiative has validated 64% of all PDS beneficiaries, with the process ongoing at fair-price shops for the remainder.

On the logistics side, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has introduced end-to-end supply chain management systems, including vehicle location tracking integrated with railways for real-time food shipment monitoring.

The ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme has further enhanced portability, enabling beneficiaries to access rations anywhere in India using their existing cards.

"Through digitisation, rightful targeting, and supply chain innovations, the Government of India has set a global benchmark for state-sponsored food security initiatives," the ministry asserted.

The digital transformation covers the entire PDS chain, from procurement to distribution, ensuring delivery to genuine beneficiaries while eliminating ghost cards and fake entries.