New Delhi: A staggering number of nearly 11 lakh residents in the national capital continue to wait for coverage under the National Food Security Act, more than ten years after the landmark legislation was enacted to provide subsidised foodgrains to economically disadvantaged populations.
Massive Exclusion in Delhi's Public Distribution System
The concerning figure, recently accessed through official documents, highlights the extensive scale of exclusion persisting within Delhi's public distribution system (PDS). This revelation comes as the Delhi government prepares to implement the Delhi Food Security Rules, 2025, a comprehensive proposal designed to completely overhaul the existing ration card framework to ensure that benefits finally reach those most in need.
While Delhi's total population has surged beyond two crore, the number of beneficiaries under the food security program has remained essentially frozen. This stagnation stems from multiple systemic failures including prolonged verification delays, absence of clear prioritisation norms, and widespread misuse of self-declaration provisions. Consequently, a substantial segment of low-income families, migrant workers, informal sector employees, and urban poor households remain outside the essential food security safety net.
Backlog and Systemic Challenges
"Since the Act's implementation in 2013, the lack of definitive rules for inclusion and prioritisation has created a massive backlog," the government proposal explicitly states. "Currently, there are approximately 3.9 lakh pending applications alongside 11 lakh individuals awaiting food security coverage."
To address these deep-rooted issues, authorities initiated a large-scale verification drive that identified significant irregularities within the system. This exercise resulted in the creation of 8.3 lakh vacancies under PDS after removing duplicate entries, ineligible and inactive beneficiaries, as well as households that voluntarily surrendered their subsidised ration entitlements.
Overhauling the System with New Regulations
Government officials emphasized that this verification process was absolutely necessary to ensure that precious foodgrain quotas could be redirected to families with genuine requirements. In a significant policy shift, the government recently increased the annual income ceiling for applicants from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.20 lakh, while simultaneously making income certification mandatory and discontinuing the problematic self-certification process due to its rampant misuse.
The new eligibility criteria explicitly exclude households owning properties in A to E category colonies, those paying income tax, individuals holding government jobs, families owning certain specified vehicles, or households with high electricity consumption patterns.
Technology-Driven Transparency and Prioritisation
To counter allegations of arbitrariness in beneficiary selection, the government has proposed establishing district-level scrutiny committees. These committees will be responsible for assessing applications and prioritising beneficiaries based on genuine need rather than the previous first-come-first-served approach.
Officials confirmed that these committees will specifically focus on vulnerable population segments including daily-wage workers, migrant communities, widows, and families without stable income sources. The new framework aims to transform PDS into a more technology-driven system utilizing digitised records, sophisticated data matching techniques, and continuous verification processes to effectively plug systemic leakages.
Addressing Systemic Irregularities
Investigations revealed that 95,682 individuals remained in the system for extended periods without availing any benefits whatsoever. Among these, 23,394 names were identified as duplicates, while in 6,185 cases, benefits were being recorded in the names of deceased persons. Additionally, at least 56,372 people voluntarily opted out of the system.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta recently stated, "A new technology-driven and transparent public distribution system is being developed, which will ensure that benefits reach those who genuinely need them." This statement underscores the administration's commitment to creating a more equitable and efficient food distribution mechanism for Delhi's residents.
