The Delhi Cabinet has approved raising the annual family income eligibility limit for ration cards from ₹1.2 lakh to ₹2.5 lakh, Food and Supplies Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced on Tuesday.
Mr. Sirsa said the earlier income threshold “no longer reflected the city’s economic realities”.
The Capital currently has about 64.93 lakh beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act and the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, with nearly 15.46 lakh ration cards in circulation.
The process of issuing new ration cards resumed on May 15 after the government identified 7.71 lakh ineligible and bogus enrolments during an audit of the Public Distribution System beneficiaries.
Digital wallet
The government also announced plans to introduce a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)-enabled ration distribution system.
Under the proposed model, instead of only distributing physical foodgrain or transferring unrestricted cash into bank accounts, the subsidy amount equivalent to the entitled ration would be deposited into a beneficiary’s CBDC wallet, which would allow them to purchase foodgrain from authorised ration shops or empanelled outlets using the digital currency, said a senior official.
Published – May 27, 2026 12:37 am IST
