One Nation One Ration Card 2026: 3.27 crore ration portability transactions a month, Mera Ration app and e-KYC status

One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) now works in all 36 States and Union Territories, and about 3.27 crore portability transactions are recorded every month, according to a PIB backgrounder dated 12 November 2026. If you hold a ration card under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), you can collect your subsidised foodgrain from any fair price shop in India without making a new ration card. This guide explains the latest official numbers, how to use your card in another state, what Aadhaar seeding and e-KYC mean, and what the release does not say.

What has the government announced about One Nation One Ration Card in November 2026?

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) published a backgrounder on 12 November 2026 titled “One Nation, One Ration Card”, prepared with inputs from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. It is not a new scheme or a new payment. It is an official status report that gives updated figures on how ONORC, the digitisation of ration cards, Aadhaar seeding, e-KYC and fair price shop technology have progressed.

The headline numbers are: ONORC is implemented in all 36 States and Union Territories, so 100% of PMGKAY beneficiaries are covered; about 3.27 crore portability transactions take place every month; and since the launch, more than 233 crore inter-state and intra-state transactions have been recorded, through which over 614 LMT of foodgrains have been distributed. One LMT is one lakh metric tonnes.

What is ONORC and who can use it?

ONORC was launched in 2019 by the Department of Food and Public Distribution. It gives portability to ration cards and beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) across the country. NFSA gives the legal right to subsidised foodgrain, and the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) delivers it through fair price shops.

In simple words: your entitlement is tied to you, not to one shop. The release says ONORC lets a beneficiary receive foodgrain entitlement from any fair price shop across the country without making a new ration card. It helps migrant workers and families who change their place of residence and still want to use the public distribution system. The release says the facility is for NFSA ration cards and beneficiaries, so state-only cards may follow different rules; check with your state.

How big is ONORC today? The official numbers in one table

Measure	Figure in the PIB release
Start of ONORC	2019
States and UTs covered	All 36
Portability transactions per month	About 3.27 crore
Transactions since launch	More than 233 crore
Foodgrain distributed through portability	Over 614 LMT
Digitised beneficiaries	About 78.65 crore (100% digitisation)
Ration cards in the central system	20.51 crore
Cards linked with Aadhaar	98.8% (20.27 crore)
Beneficiaries linked with Aadhaar	76.97 crore
e-KYC done (to 30 Sep 2026)	71.52 crore, 91% of beneficiaries
Fair price shops with e-PoS	99.8% (5.50 lakh of 5.51 lakh)

The digitisation status is reported as of October 2026, and the e-KYC figure is counted up to 30 September 2026.

How can you use your ration card in another state?

The release does not publish a step-by-step claim procedure, so the steps below are built only from the features it lists. Always confirm local rules with your state food department.

1. Check that your ration card and family members are Aadhaar-seeded. The Mera Ration app lets you confirm your Aadhaar seeding status.
2. In the Mera Ration app, check whether you are eligible for national portability.
3. Where it applies, register voluntarily for ONORC in the app.
4. Use the GPS feature to find a fair price shop near your new address, and use the map to reach it.
5. Go to the shop and collect your monthly entitlement. The release says shops run on e-PoS devices (99.8% of them), so keep your Aadhaar details ready for digital authentication.
6. Afterwards, the app shows your past transactions so you can confirm what was issued.

Keep your Aadhaar and ration card number with you. If grain is refused, use the grievance options in the next section.

What are Aadhaar seeding and e-KYC, and how far has it gone?

Aadhaar seeding means your Aadhaar number is linked to your ration card record. e-KYC is the electronic identity check of each beneficiary against Aadhaar. These steps make digital authentication at the shop possible and help remove duplicates.

The release gives these figures: of 20.51 crore ration cards in the central system, 98.8% (20.27 crore) are linked to Aadhaar; the number of Aadhaar-linked beneficiaries is 76.97 crore; and by 30 September 2026, e-KYC was done for 71.52 crore beneficiaries, which is 91% of all beneficiaries. That means about 9% still show e-KYC pending in the national count. The release does not set a deadline or penalty for e-KYC. If your family member has not done e-KYC, ask your fair price shop or the food office how it is done in your state.

How is the ration card list being cleaned up?

PIB says better Aadhaar and PDS data analysis helped identify 5.95 crore suspect records, and 2.58 crore duplicate or ineligible entries were removed. Under the “Rightful Targeting” version 3.63, 68 lakh records were identified and removed.

For an honest beneficiary, the practical lesson is simple: keep your card details, family members and Aadhaar linking correct. If a name has been removed wrongly, use the grievance route of your state. The release talks about duplicate or ineligible entries only in general and does not list who is considered ineligible.

What do SARTHAK-PDS, Smart-PDS, NIRMAL and SAKSHAM mean for beneficiaries?

SARTHAK-PDS is an umbrella scheme (Streamlining PDS with Automation, Ration Transportation and Handling-income support). It supports movement and handling of foodgrain within a state and the margin of fair price shop dealers; it is not about movement between states. Its aim is to ensure last-mile delivery of foodgrain under NFSA, reduce leakage and strengthen food security until 31 March 2031.

Under it, NIRMAL strengthens data architecture and analytics, SAKSHAM adds real-time data integration from procurement to distribution including vehicle location tracking, and Smart-PDS digitally joins ration cards, distribution, supply chains and grievance redressal. Online allocation of foodgrain is in place nationwide, and supply chains are computerised in 31 States and UTs. For you, the benefit is fewer delays and less leakage, not a change in your entitlement.

Where can you complain if you do not get your grain?

The release says all States and UTs run a transparency portal, an online grievance redressal system and a toll-free helpline. It does not list the numbers, because they are state-specific. Find them on your state food and civil supplies portal, or in the Mera Ration app help section. When you complain, note the date, the shop name, your ration card number and what was refused.

For related help, read our guides on the ration card, the e-Shram card for unorganised workers, and PM-Kisan for farmers.

What does the release not say?

The PIB backgrounder does not state:

• a step-by-step procedure to claim grain in another state, or any form to fill;
• the quantity of foodgrain per person per month, or the price;
• whether different family members can draw their share at different places or on the same day;
• state-wise portability numbers, or state helpline numbers;
• any deadline or penalty for e-KYC;
• the criteria used to call a record “suspect” or “ineligible”.

Use only the official PIB release and your state food department for decisions that affect your family.