Over 14.4 lakh priority ration cards enrolled, new food grain scheme launched: Govt

Jammu, Apr 1: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday said a total of 14,40,473 Priority Household (PHH) ration card holders are covered across the Union Territory.
Replying to a starred question in the Legislative Assembly, the government said that all eligible beneficiaries have been enrolled in the ration card database, while updation and deletion of cards is a continuous process based on verification and eligibility norms.
It said that identification of beneficiaries is carried out as per Census 2011 data and targets assigned by the Government of India, adding that newly identified eligible families are included as and when revised targets are communicated.
Regarding LPG support, the government said it has announced three free LPG cylinders per year for AAY ration card holders to support economically vulnerable sections. Efforts are being made to enhance this support in future, subject to availability of resources, it added.
The government further informed that a new scheme providing an additional 10 kilograms of free food grains per month to AAY households has been launched from April 2025 in Jammu division, aimed at households with four or more members.
Providing details, it said the scheme is currently operational across all districts of Jammu division, covering 37,412 AAY beneficiaries, with district-wise distribution including Jammu, Rajouri, Poonch, Doda and others.
On Fair Price Shops (FPS), the government said that 94 FPS are currently operational in Rajouri constituency. “The opening of new FPS in Jammu and Kashmir will be considered after full stabilisation of the Smart Public Distribution System (Smart PDS),” it said. “The proposals for new FPS will be formulated in line with S.O. 41 of 2023, taking into account population norms, geographical factors and existing coverage.”
The key systems like ration card management, supply chain management and e-KYC integration are operational, while further improvements, including grievance redressal and PoS device upgrades, are underway, the government said, adding that elected representatives will be consulted before taking any final decision on expansion of FPS network across Jammu and Kashmir. (KNO)