Process of Aadhaar Card Linking with Ration Card

The government has made linking the Ration card and the Aadhaar card compulsory. What is the ration Card? The ration card allows its holders access to government-subsidized food and gasoline. The Ration came into the system decades ago and has since helped millions receive their minimal requirements every month. It is quite a popular government subsidy across the country.

Besides providing food and grain, the ration card also serves as an identity proof for the economic-backward classes. Their evidence of identification gets stored in the government database as a link. There are three layers to the Ration card: Antyodaya, Below Poverty Line (BPL), and Above Poverty Line (APL). The eligibility for the card depends on the financial situation of the family. 

Reasons for Linking of Aadhaar Card and Ration Card

The government wants people to link Aadhaar with Ration card to stop the fraudulent behaviour of people who obtain multiple ration cards. It will not only do that but also prevent people above the BPL from availing of the ration card. Such measures will ensure that those who genuinely need and deserve subsidised fuel and food grains receive them. 

The people across the household receive the ration cards. It allows them to obtain food, grains and power at a subsidised cost. Besides government documents like the voter’s card and passport, the ration card also serves as identity proof. 

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An individual often receives more shares than expected due to fraudulent behaviour. The government has taken such a measure to stop hoarding ratios at the cost of depriving those who need it. 

Advantages of Linking Aadhaar with Your Ration Card

We all have heard of linking the Aadhaar card and the ration card. But why do that? What are the benefits of linking these two government cards? Here are a few:

• It will eliminate the fake cardholders who take all the food provision benefits for those below the poverty line (BPL). It ensures that the requirements go to the ones who deserve them. 
• Linking the cards will curb fraudulent cases
• It will remove more than one ration card from a single family 
• The Aadhaar card creates a trace of the individual in the Public Distribution System or PDS; the linking of the cards will do away with dishonest intermediaries
• Genuine beneficiaries will receive the help they desperately need from the government through fingerprint authentication. 

To do all this, the individuals need the proper documents to become registered persons qualifying for the linking. Let’s look at the criteria.

What Documents Does the Person Require?

For the Link Aadhaar with Ration card, one needs to upload the following documents for registration:

• Xerox of the original Ration card
• Xerox of the Aadhaar card of the family members
• Xerox of the Aadhaar card of the family head
• Copy of the bank passbook
• Two passport-size photos of the head of the family

How Can One Link the Ration Card and the Aadhaar Card Online?

Many states have provisions for linking the Aadhaar card to the ration card online through the website portal. The process goes as mentioned below:

• Go to the PDS portal main website for YOUR state
• Type the number of personal Ration Card
• Next, enter the Aadhaar card number 
• Enter your registered phone number
• Select the “Continue/Submit” option
• You will get an OTP  on the registered phone number
• Type in the OTP and submit your Aadhar-ration Card linking appeal 

How Can One Link the Ration Card with the Aadhar Card Offline?

One can go to their local ration shop to link the Ration card with the Aadhar. The linking of the Ration-Aadhaar card will make the process much easier. It has a tonne of benefits. For instance, it will make searching for ration Cards using the Aadhaar card easier. One can quickly check their Ration Card status using their Aadhaar Card number.

If one wants to have a tie-up of the Ration card and the Aadhar Card offline, one must follow the following steps:

• Go to the local ration shop
• Carry the photocopies of your Ration Card along with your Aadhaar card. These copies must be for all the members of the household. Additionally, one must carry a passport-sized photo of the family head.
• If the bank account has no link to the Aadhaar, one must also send a copy of the bank passbook. 
• You must submit all these documents and the Aadhaar card copy to the PDS shop. 
• You may also need to submit a fingerprint authentication as requested by the salesperson at the Ration store. They might ask this when you use your Aadhaar card for the first time.

Once you finish the process, an SMS will pop up on your phone (registered phone number) after submitting the papers. Once the two documents have synced and you will receive another SMS on your phone.  

How Can You Use SMS to Link the Ration Card with the Aadhar Card?

1. The applicant must type in the UID SEED along with the state initial and their ID and Aadhaar card number in the message box. Then they will forward the message to the number 51969. An example is UID SEED WB POSC 210987654321
2. The applicant will receive alerts that indicate the receipt of information, a final verification and efficient linking of the ration card and the Aadhaar card. 

Why Must One Link Their Aadhar Card to Their Ration Card?

The primary reason for linking the two cards is to stop people from duplicating cards to receive subsidies. The government can detain people whose income levels do not fall in the BPL segment. They will not benefit from this scheme. The government wants to ensure that the people needing help receive it. The Ration card also serves as proof of identity and residency. 

So, what documents does one need for the linking?

Overview of the Aadhaar-Ration Cards Linking Benefits