Ration Card – Applicability, Eligibility & E-Ration

Russian card is an official document and a very important document in India, issued by the state government of India. To the families which are economically weaker. It gives the eligibility to purchase subsidized food grain from the public distribution system (PDS). it is also a common form of identification for many Indians.

There are three kinds of ration cards are issued in India –

1. Above poverty line (APL) – APL ration cards are usually used for identity proof of Indians citizenship, at the same time households can receive 15 KG of food grain on this card.
2. Below poverty line (BPL) – BPL ration cards are for households living below the poverty line and they can receive 25 to 35 KG of food grain from the PDS.
3. Antyodaya (AAY) – AAY ration cards are issued to “extremely poor” class of households, this class of household receives 35 KG of food grain and many more subsidized government schemes.

Applicability – The application process of applying ration card is been different for every state of India, but the root of the process is almost similar for every state.  Each state government has prescribed different kind of application forms which can be submitted manually or online for obtaining a ration card.

Eligibility – There are several eligibility criteria for obtaining ration card from the state governments of India –

1. The household should be an Indian citizen.
2. Applicant and member of the family, it must be close relatives.
3. Applicants should not hold any other family card in the same state.
4. For APL/AAY ration card the total family income must come in specific describe criteria.
5. Should not hold any other ration card in another state.

E-ration – initially the process of getting a ration card was very tedious, where Applicant goes to the office, purchase form, then fill that out, get all the document and then submit the fee. But right now many states have made it very easy for the applicant to upload their information on their official website, then applicants can receive the ration card to the doorstep through the portal system.

All the state government departments are slowly switching to digital and keeping it up. This process became easier than some states move to a digital version of the ration card by changing the entire infrastructure. The process became entirely online which is called E- ration cards.

The process of downloading application forms and submitting them, with all the required details then after a few working days the applicant can download their E-ration card through the official website.

Documents required –

• Completed and signed the application form.
• Identity proof of applicant anything of the following –

1. Aadhar card
2. Driving license
3. Passport
4. Telephone bill in the name of the applicant
5. Latest LPG receipt on the name of the applicant
6. Any other document that can prove the applicant’s residence.