NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has decided to accept applications for new ration cards only through online medium. It has also made Aadhaar numbers compulsory for each member of the household for new ration cards.
Officials said that applications received online will be checked at the level of a food supply officer, who may then verify the information through field visits if required. The officer may also seek clarifications from applicants on the information furnished.
The government has said that it has informed all zonal assistant commissioners of the Food, Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department about a standard operating procedure (SOP) to be followed for processing applications for issuing new ration cards.
The government is soon expected to start the process for filling up over eight lakh ration card vacancies in the city. The city has a quota of around 72 lakh ration cards under the National Food Security Act, 2013, and fresh applications are invited after vacancies are created either due to death, surrender or migration of beneficiaries, officials stated.
On February 4, the government notified the Delhi Food Security Rules, 2026, after which an SOP was prepared, which laid down guidelines for processing fresh ration card applications. According to the rules, the eldest female in a family will be cited as the head of the household.
Eldest woman as head
The eldest female in a family will be cited as the head of the household. If she is below 18, the eldest male member will be indicated as the temporary head.