How To Link An Aadhaar Card With A Ration Card?

Linking your ration card to your aadhaar card is essential for enhancing transparency and Efficiency in India's welfare schemes. This process helps eliminate duplicate ration cards, ensuring that benefits reach only eligible beneficiaries.

It streamlines service delivery and prevents fraud, allowing for accurate targeting of subsidies. If you wish to link your cards, this blog post offers an in-depth guide. However, before moving forward, ensure your Aadhaar details are up-to-date to avoid discrepancies.

Importance of Linking Aadhaar with Ration Card

The government has mandated linking Aadhaar with ration cards to access benefits under the ration system. This linkage is crucial for several reasons:

• Regulation of Eligibility: It helps authorities ensure that only eligible individuals receive subsidised rations by preventing those with incomes exceeding the prescribed limits from benefiting.
• Prevention of Duplicate Cards: Linking Aadhaar prevents individuals from holding multiple ration cards, ensuring that each beneficiary receives only their entitled share.
• Support for ‘One Nation One Ration Card’: It helps strengthen the ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme, enabling beneficiaries to access subsidised rations from PDS outlets across different states.
• Efficiency and Transparency: Aadhaar linkage enhances the efficiency and transparency of the PDS by reducing fraud and improving beneficiary verification.

Benefits of Linking Aadhaar to Ration Card

If you’re sceptical of linking your aadhaar to a ration card, here are some benefits you should know about:

• Reduction in Fraud: Linking Aadhaar helps reduce the number of fake ration cardholders improperly accessing subsidies for BPL families.
• Prevention of Duplicate Cards: Families cannot obtain multiple ration cards using false information.
• Mitigation of Fraudulent Activities: The linkage helps prevent fraudulent activities related to ration distribution.
• Improved Beneficiary Identification: The biometric-enabled system allows PDS shops to identify genuine beneficiaries and accurately streamline benefits distribution.
• Control of Leakages: It helps control leakages and diversion of PDS ration.
• Enhanced Accountability: Aadhaar creates an audit trail within the PDS, aiding in detecting corrupt middlemen and fostering a more efficient framework.
• Effective KYC: Aadhaar is a Know Your Customer (KYC) tool that allows beneficiaries to access rations under the PDS system.
• Elimination of Duplicates: Linking Aadhaar helps eliminate duplicate ration cards, ensuring each card is unique and accurately reflects the beneficiary.

Prerequisites for Linking Aadhaar with a Ration Card

Before applying to link your Aadhaar card with your ration card, ensure you have the following:

• Ration card number
• Aadhaar card number
• Aadhaar linked contact number

How to Link a Ration Card with Aadhaar Online?

Many states offer an online Facility to link your ration card with your Aadhaar card. Follow these steps:

• Go to your state’s Public Distribution System (PDS) portal.
• Click on ‘Link Aadhaar with Ration Card’.
• Input your ration card number.
• Provide your Aadhaar card number.
• Enter the contact number registered with your Aadhaar card.
• Upload any required documents and click ‘Continue’ or ‘Submit’.
• An OTP will be sent.
• Enter the OTP and submit your request.

You will receive an SMS once the linking process is complete.

How to Link Aadhaar to Ration Card Offline?

Follow the below-mentioned steps to link your aadhaar card to your ration card:

• Go to your nearest ration or Public Distribution System (PDS) shop.
• Carry photocopies of Aadhaar cards for all family members and a photocopy of your ration card.
• If your Aadhaar is not linked to your Bank account, bring a photocopy of your bank passbook.
• Bring a passport-sized photograph of the head of the family.
• Submit all required documents at the ration or PDS shop.

You will get a notification through email or SMS once your documents have been processed and your ration card is successfully linked to your Aadhaar card.

Link Aadhaar to Ration Card via SMS

Follow these steps to link your Aadhaar card to your ration card via SMS:

Write the message in the following format:

UID SEED < State Short Code > < Scheme / Program Short Code > < Scheme/Program ID> < Aadhaar Number >

For example: 'UID SEED KA POSC 9778342 123456789101'

• Send this message to the number '51969'
• You will get notifications regarding the Receipt of your information, successful verification, and linkage of your Aadhaar card to your ration card

Documents to Link Aadhaar to Ration Card

You will need to provide the following documents to link Aadhaar card to the ration card:

• A Photocopy of Ration Card (along with the original card for on-site verification)
• Photocopies of Aadhaar cards for all family members.
• A photocopy of the head of the family’s Aadhaar card.
• A recent photograph of the head of the family.
• A photocopy of the bank passbook if your account is not linked with Aadhaar.

How to Check Ration Card Link with an Aadhaar Card?

To verify if your ration card is linked with your Aadhaar card, follow these steps:

• Download and install the ‘Mera Ration’ app from the Google Play Store.
• Launch the ‘Mera Ration’ app and select the ‘Aadhaar Seeding’ option from the menu.
• Choose the ‘Ration Card’ option.
• Type in your ration card number and click ‘Submit’.

The app will display the linkage status between your ration and Aadhaar cards.

Conclusion

Linking your Aadhaar card to your ration card is vital to ensure a more efficient and transparent system for accessing essential services in India. This integration helps eliminate fraud and duplicate entries and facilitates accurate targeting of subsidies, benefiting those in genuine need. By completing this linkage, you contribute to a streamlined process that enhances the overall effectiveness of welfare schemes. Embracing this initiative ultimately fosters accountability and ensures that resources are allocated to the right individuals.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can my aadhaar card beneficiary receive a ration in another state if they are living there?

A: Yes, beneficiaries living in another state can receive their ration under the ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme. This can happen if they are added to your card. However, if all the ration from your card has been taken, the beneficiary cannot collect the ration in another state.

2. Why should I link my ration card with my Aadhaar card?

A: Linking the Aadhaar card with ration card is mandatory per government regulations. This helps prevent duplication and ensures eligible families receive their benefits without holding multiple ration cards.

3. What if I Do Not Link my Aadhaar to My Ration Card?

A: According to government regulations, linking Aadhaar with your ration card is mandatory. You must complete this linkage to be eligible for the benefits associated with your ration card. This means you may need help accessing subsidised rations from the PDS and could face difficulties obtaining essential food supplies at subsidised rates.

4. What if my mobile number is not linked to my Aadhaar?

A: If your mobile number is not linked with your Aadhaar card, you cannot use Aadhaar services that require OTP verification. This includes processes such as connecting your Aadhaar card to other services.

5. Is it possible to link the Aadhaar of my family member with the ration card?

A: Yes, you can link all your family members' Aadhaar cards with the ration card. The process generally allows for including Aadhaar details for multiple family members.

6. What if the details of my Aadhaar card and ration card don’t match?

A: If there is a mismatch, you need to correct the details. You must update your Aadhaar information through the UIDAI website and rectify the ration card details by visiting the PDS portal.