One Nation Ration Card

August 21, 2025 by Team Instabizfilings

One of the most significant plans of Government of India is a revolutionary initiative called the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) to achieve the Government of India aim regarding food security about making sure all the citizens are provided with food especially the migrants and people living in the urban surroundings and having the capacity to purchase their ration claims anywhere in the country.

The ONORC scheme is an ONORC-based technology-driven reform launched by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.

Objective of ONORC

Transfer of ration cards between states and union territories.
So that there can be efficient delivery of the subsidized food grains using the Public Distribution System (PDS) without dependency on geographic location of the beneficiary.
To strengthen the migrant workers and urban poor and the unorganised sector making them avail food security anywhere in India.
To bring more transparency, minimise corruption/avoid duplicate fake ration cards.

Key Features

Ration Card Portability: The beneficiaries can pick up their food grains at any FPS (Fair Price Shop) in the country with the number of ration card and Aadhar Card number which they possess.
Technology-Driven : It involves Aadhaar authentication and electronic Point of sale (ePoS) machines in FPS outlets.
National Portability: At present, ONORC is a nationwide scheme covering all the 36 states and union territories.
MERA RATION App: The application of a mobile phone, allowing the migrant to find the closest FPS and to verify the list of their entitlements and transactions.

Benefits of ONORC

Benefit	Details
Food Security	Ensures continuous access to subsidised food even if a person migrates to another city or state.
Transparency	Prevents duplication and ghost beneficiaries through biometric authentication.
Empowerment	Especially helps migrant workers, many of whom previously lost access to rations after moving for work.
Convenience	Reduces dependency on local FPS dealers and ensures better service quality.
Wider Access	Allows family members to split entitlements across different locations.

How It Works

Ration Card Seeding: Ration card of the beneficiary is seeded with his/her Aadhaar Number.
ePoS Authentication: They authenticate using biometrics or OTP based transactions at any outlet of FPS.
Portability Transaction: The data is given according to the central database of the Integrated Management of PDS (IM-PDS).

Eligibility Criteria

It has to be NFSA enrolled.
The ration card has to be converted into Aadhaar-linked and digitized.
The state should be on the ONORC network (now pan-India).

Challenges in Implementation

Digital Divide: The Mobile phones or the internet are not accessible to all the beneficiaries.
Aadhaar Issues: Lock up or non-recognition of biometric authentication will lead to delays or rejection.
Awareness: A good number of migrants are yet to be fully aware of their ONORC rights.
Infrastructure Gaps: This is not the case with all the FPS shops having a functioning ePoS in place.

Success Stories and Impact

During the COVID-19 lockdown, ONORC contributed immensely to the provision of food to the stranded migrant workers.
According to the government statistics, more than 90 crore portability transactions have been done so far since its launch.
It has played a great role in inclusive growth and poverty alleviation in urban and semi-urban regions.

Conclusion

One Nation One Ration Card scheme is a monumental change in the area of food security in India. It is a step towards having an ideal and inclusive country, where every citizen, wherever he/she may be, receives as much as his/her benefits and rights. Through sustained endeavours on awareness, technology and infrastructure, ONORC has the capacity to act as a prototype of social welfare provision across the globe.

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