Govt to issue 2 lakh ration cards this year: CM Rekha
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday announced that her government will issue two lakh fresh ration cards this year and said new ration cards had not been issued in the national Capital in many years.
Addressing a programme marking the first anniversary of her Government in North West Delhi, she said, “We are going to issue two lakh ration cards this year.”
According to officials, there are over 17 lakh ration card holders in Delhi, involving nearly 73 lakh Public Distribution System (PDS) beneficiaries provided with a monthly quota of ration through around 2,000 fair price shops.
Recently, a verification drive was undertaken by the Food Supply and Consumer Affairs Department of the Delhi government, and notices were issued to 2.76 lakh ration card holders. Just over 1,000 ration card holders replied to the notices, officials said.
Under the new rules, those living in A-E category colonies, holding Government jobs, paying income tax, owning four-wheelers and having power connections above 2 KW are ineligible for ration cards. The Government is likely to soon take a call to cancel the ration cards issued to ineligible beneficiaries, officials said.
The verification exercise has revealed that 1.59 lakh ration card holders own property, more than 77,000 own vehicles, and 19,000 are company directors, while 16,000 held ration cards in other states, they said.
The government recently notified the Delhi Food Security Rules, 2026, changing the annual income criterion for issuing ration cards to Rs 1.20 lakh from the existing Rs 1 lakh per annum. Under the new rules, only online applications for ration cards will be accepted in Delhi, and each member of the household will be required to furnish their Aadhaar numbers, officials said.
According to a standard operating procedure issued by the Government, now, district-level committees headed by the district magistrates will decide on issuing ration cards, giving priority to needy people. Earlier, first come first serve criterion was used to issue ration cards on applications received.
Rekha Gupta, meanwhile, reiterated her government’s resolve to develop rural pockets of the capital and alleged that previous Governments neglected this region.
She made these assertions during her visit to North-West Delhi as part of her outreach programme, where she presented her government’s report card for its first year in office. Addressing residents of the parliamentary constituency, she said Delhi’s progress is no longer confined to advertisements; it is visible on the ground.
Taking a swipe at previous governments, the Chief Minister said the region had long been neglected. Over the past year, however, the BJP-led Government has made a concrete beginning towards development, focusing on “Antyodaya to Gramodaya” to uplift the last person and strengthen rural communities.
She said that whenever she visits rural pockets such as Mundka, Bawana, Narela, Kirari and Sultanpur Majra, she feels as though she is among her own family.
Describing her first year in office as a journey “from distress to transformation”, she noted that basic infrastructure, roads, water supply and sewerage have expanded at a rapid pace across the region.
According to the Chief Minister, new projects aimed at improving access to quality education and better healthcare are also being fast-tracked. The launch of development works worth Rs 264 crore in the Mundka Assembly constituency, she said, marks a significant step forward for the area.
