Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday announced a proposal to significantly widen access to subsidised food benefits by increasing the annual income eligibility threshold for ration cards in the national capital. The move is expected to bring a larger number of low and middle-income families under the public distribution system (PDS).

Addressing a press conference, Gupta said the Delhi government plans to raise the annual income ceiling for ration card eligibility from ₹1.2 lakh to ₹2.5 lakh. The proposal will be placed before the Cabinet for approval at its next meeting.

The revision comes as the government seeks to expand coverage for families facing rising household expenses and inflationary pressures in the city. According to the Chief Minister, the updated criteria aim to ensure that deserving beneficiaries are not left out of welfare schemes.

At the same time, the Delhi government has undertaken a large-scale audit of existing ration card holders and cancelled nearly 7.72 lakh cards identified as invalid during a verification exercise.

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Officials said the review found several categories of beneficiaries who no longer met eligibility norms. This included around 1.44 lakh individuals exceeding income limits, nearly 35,800 beneficiaries who had stopped collecting rations, 29,580 deceased individuals, and 23,394 duplicate entries.

The government said the verification exercise was aimed at improving transparency and ensuring that food subsidies reach genuinely eligible households.

Gupta also claimed that Delhi had not issued fresh ration cards for nearly 13 years, making the latest reforms an important step in reviving and updating the beneficiary database.

Meanwhile, the process of issuing new ration cards has resumed through Delhi’s e-District portal. Authorities said online applications are now being accepted for both new ration cards and requests to add family members.

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Government officials stated that since the portal reopened last week, the Department of Food Supplies and Consumer Affairs has received 487 fresh applications. They noted that application volumes are gradually increasing as officials continue document verification under revised norms.

Eligibility rules have also been tightened under the new framework. Officials said individuals living in A-E category colonies, government employees, income-tax payers, owners of four-wheelers, and households with electricity connections exceeding 2 KW will remain ineligible for ration cards.

To assist applicants facing difficulties during registration, the department has activated a helpline number, 1967.

The government has additionally started returning long-pending and incomplete applications to users’ e-District accounts for correction and resubmission.

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Earlier this year, the Delhi government notified the Delhi Food Security Rules, 2026, revising the annual income criterion to ₹1.2 lakh from ₹1 lakh. Authorities have also made Aadhaar mandatory for all family members and stipulated that only online applications will be accepted under the new process.

The proposed increase to ₹2.5 lakh, if approved, could significantly expand the reach of subsidised food support across the capital.

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Published on: May 21, 2026 6:30 PM IST