SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has deleted 56,664 beneficiaries from ration records while adding 2,25,360 beneficiaries under different ration categories since January 1, 2026, according to data provided by the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department to the Legislative Assembly.
The figures were placed before the House in response to a starred question by MLA Payare Lal Sharma on the issuance of new ration cards. The data covers beneficiaries added and deleted under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), Priority Households (PHH) and Non-Priority Households (NPHH) categories.
Of the beneficiaries added across J&K during the period, 9,889 were under AAY, 1,50,211 under PHH and 65,260 under NPHH.
The deletions comprised 11,484 AAY beneficiaries, 20,525 PHH beneficiaries and 24,655 NPHH beneficiaries, taking the total to 56,664.
Jammu division recorded 1,36,939 additions, including 1,261 AAY, 90,770 PHH and 44,908 NPHH beneficiaries. It also accounted for 34,950 deletions, comprising 8,611 AAY, 11,632 PHH and 14,707 NPHH beneficiaries.
Kashmir division recorded 88,421 additions, comprising 8,628 AAY, 59,441 PHH and 20,352 NPHH beneficiaries. It recorded 21,714 deletions, including 2,873 AAY, 8,893 PHH and 9,948 NPHH beneficiaries.
Among the districts, Reasi recorded the highest number of PHH additions in Jammu division at 16,036, followed by Poonch with 14,893, Ramban with 12,464 and Doda with 11,893.
In Kashmir, Anantnag recorded 13,111 PHH additions, Kulgam 10,896 and Baramulla 10,412. Kupwara recorded the highest number of AAY additions in J&K at 2,245.
The department reported substantial category-wise deletions in several districts. Samba recorded 8,559 PHH deletions, while Kishtwar recorded 10,426 NPHH deletions. Kulgam had 4,616 NPHH beneficiaries deleted, followed by Baramulla with 2,389 and Anantnag with 1,961.
The Government said it had achieved 100 per cent Aadhaar seeding of ration cards. It clarified, however, that the ineligibility of an individual beneficiary does not ordinarily result in cancellation of the entire ration card.
Instead, corrections are made at beneficiary level and the category or status of the ration card is modified according to the prescribed procedure, the department said. The approach is intended to protect the food security entitlements of other eligible beneficiaries covered by the same ration card.
The department also said ration cards identified as “Silent Ration Cards” during verification are not deleted outright. Such cards are kept under suspension for the prescribed period, after which the suspension can be revoked and entitlements restored if the beneficiary or family approaches the department and the case is found eligible under the applicable norms.
For Inderwal constituency, the data shows 3,937 PHH beneficiaries were added since January 1, while 128 AAY and 522 NPHH beneficiaries were deleted.
The Government specifically stated that no ration card in Inderwal constituency had been found fake, duplicate, invalid, cancelled or deleted during the verification process in Kishtwar district.
It also clarified that deleted or cancelled ration cards are not replaced by “Chulha Parchi”, as eligibility is determined under S.O. 389 of 2021.
On the issuance of fresh ration cards, the department said beneficiaries are being identified under the criteria prescribed in the National Food Security Act Rules, 2021, notified through S.O. 389 dated November 16, 2021.
The Government said the number of beneficiaries and ration-card targets are determined and assigned by the Government of India, while existing beneficiary families were identified on the basis of Census 2011 data.
Fresh ration cards under the relevant categories will be issued when revised targets are communicated by the Centre to accommodate newly identified eligible families, the department said.
