Under the Public Distribution System (PDS), the Government of Chhattisgarh is currently ensuring food security to approximately 27.3 million people across the state. At present, 82.18 lakh ration cards are active in Chhattisgarh, covering a total of 2.73 crore registered beneficiaries.
In line with directions from the Central Government, the State Government is continuously carrying out the e-KYC (electronic Know Your Customer) process to ensure that benefits reach genuine beneficiaries. So far, e-KYC has been completed for 2.30 crore members, accounting for 85 percent of the total registered beneficiaries. Around 30.32 lakh members are yet to complete the e-KYC process.
Officials from the Food Department stated that e-KYC facilities are available at all government fair price shops through e-POS machines. In addition, beneficiaries can complete e-KYC from home using the “Mera e-KYC” mobile application launched by the Government of India. To use the app, beneficiaries can download it from the Google Play Store on an Android phone, enter their Aadhaar number, and complete face-based e-KYC through Aadhaar OTP authentication.
Currently, 14,040 government fair price shops are operational across the state, allowing ration cardholders to collect food grains from shops of their choice. Based on the estimated population for 2025, the PDS now covers nearly 89 percent of the state’s population.
To enhance transparency in ration distribution, Aadhaar seeding has also been undertaken, with 99.7 percent of beneficiaries already Aadhaar-linked, while 85 percent have completed e-KYC.
