India's Ration System Works Better Than It Used To — and Still Leaves People Out

India's PDS feeds about 81.35 crore people through 5.3 lakh-plus fair price shops

Aadhaar, ePoS machines and One Nation One Ration Card cut a lot of old-style theft

Coverage is still pegged to the 2011 Census, so millions born or migrated since are left out

Leakage estimates vary widely by method — from single digits to nearly 29% in one 2025 study

Experts favour updating the population cap, adding pulses/millets and a hybrid cash option, not scrapping the system

Read the full story on GeneralNews Read full article →