Sri Vijaya Puram: With less than two weeks left for the government-mandated deadline, the Department of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (CS&CA) has issued a final reminder to NFSA (National Food Security Act) beneficiaries holding Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Household (PHH) ration cards to complete their Aadhaar-based e-KYC by June 30, 2025. Those who fail to comply risk suspension of their ration cards from July 1 onwards.
The department, in line with the Government of India’s directions, has clarified that only those beneficiaries who complete e-KYC for all members registered in their ration card will continue to receive subsidised food grains and other entitlements under the NFSA. Despite multiple rounds of outreach and repeated reminders, many eligible households have yet to complete this crucial step.
In an effort to prevent disruption of services to economically vulnerable populations, CS&CA has taken a multipronged approach over the past several months to spread awareness and provide assistance. Officials report that 260 door-to-door campaigns have been conducted, focusing particularly on remote and inaccessible regions. Awareness efforts were also intensified through 19 campaigns in both print and electronic media, while Fair Price Shops (FPS) were utilised to directly convey the importance of e-KYC to beneficiaries.
To ease the process, the department launched the ‘Mera KYC’ mobile application, which enables Aadhaar-based biometric, iris, and facial recognition authentication for ration cardholders. Additionally, officials have been reaching out to cardholders via phone calls and local-level outreach to assist with document preparation and processing.
Despite these measures, hundreds of families remain non-compliant. According to officials, the list of such households has been made available at Fair Price Shops for public reference. Beneficiaries who are still unaware of their status have been urged to check these lists and immediately complete the required e-KYC process.
Adding complexity to the situation is the issue of Aadhaar verification for children aged between 5 and 17 years. Many of these young beneficiaries had their Aadhaar numbers generated before they turned five, making their biometric data outdated. Since e-KYC requires updated biometric authentication, parents or guardians must ensure their children’s Aadhaar data is refreshed at the nearest Aadhaar Enrolment Centre.
The guardians may also visit the Directorate of Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs at Room No. 20 in Sri Vijaya Puram or contact their respective supply units to address issues related to Aadhaar linking or child beneficiary updates. The toll-free helpline (03192-230337) is available for those seeking additional support.
While the government has stressed that this drive is to ensure more targeted and transparent delivery of benefits, it also warned that no further extensions will be provided. Starting July 1, all ration cards without updated e-KYC will be suspended, and families will be temporarily barred from receiving their monthly quotas under the NFSA.
This move is expected to help weed out duplicate or inactive beneficiaries and ensure that subsidised goods reach only the intended recipients.
With the clock ticking, the next few days will be crucial in determining how many of the left-out households are able to get their documentation in order before the June 30 deadline.
