The One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) Scheme is an initiative by the Government of India aimed at ensuring national portability of ration cards under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013. It allows migrant beneficiaries to avail their entitled food grains under the Public Distribution System (PDS) from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) across the country.
The primary objectives of the ONORC Scheme include:
Providing food security to migrant beneficiaries throughout the country.
Reducing leakage and pilferage in the PDS.
Ensuring seamless and efficient delivery of food grains to beneficiaries.
Key features of the ONORC Scheme include:
Portability: Ration cardholders can access PDS benefits across states.
Integration: Integration of beneficiary data and digital records for effective implementation.
Technology-driven: Use of Aadhaar authentication for transparent distribution.
Phased Implementation: Gradual rollout across states for seamless integration.
Migrants, particularly laborers and workers moving from one state to another in search of livelihood, benefit significantly from ONORC. They can now access subsidized food grains irrespective of their location within India.
The ONORC initiative has advanced through:
Continuous expansion of states and union territories (UTs) covered under the scheme.
Adoption of digital technology to streamline beneficiary identification and authentication.
Collaboration with states/UTs to resolve technical and logistical challenges.
All NFSA beneficiaries are eligible for the ONORC Scheme, subject to their state or UT being integrated into the national portability network.
The concept of portability ensures that ration cards are valid across states/UTs, allowing beneficiaries to purchase subsidized food grains from any FPS in the country.
Beneficiaries can apply for ONORC through their respective state/UT's designated portal or through offline modes specified by the authorities.
States and UTs progressively integrating with ONORC include:
The ONORC scheme has been implemented in all 36 States and Union Territories of India, including:
Andhra Pradesh
Telangana
Maharashtra
Karnataka
Tamil Nadu
Uttar Pradesh
Bihar
West Bengal
Delhi
And all other States and UTs
The key benefits of ONORC include:
Convenience: Access to PDS benefits anywhere in India.
Reduced Corruption: Minimization of leakages and diversion of food grains.
Empowerment: Ensuring food security for migrant workers and their families.
The ONORC scheme allows ration cardholders to access their entitled subsidized food grains from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) across India, regardless of their original state of issuance.
All beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, especially migrant workers and their families, can benefit from this scheme.
You can check the list of integrated states and union territories on the National Food Security Portal: https://nfsa.gov.in
Yes, Aadhaar seeding with the ration card is mandatory to avail the portability benefit under ONORC. Biometric authentication is used at FPS for verification.
You need to complete the Aadhaar seeding process either through your State's PDS Portal or by visiting the nearest FPS or ration office.
You can use the Mera Ration App, which provides the location of nearby FPS, entitlement information, transaction history, and other details.
Download here:
Android: Mera Ration App on Google Play
Yes. Family members can split their entitlements and collect food grains from different FPS locations in different states if required.
You can apply via your respective state's Public Distribution System (PDS) portal. For example:
Telangana: https://epds.telangana.gov.in/
Maharashtra: https://mahaepos.gov.in/ You may need to provide Aadhaar, residence proof, and identity documents.
Generally, the following are required:
Ration card
Aadhaar card (for all family members)
Mobile number
Recent passport-size photos (for some states)
You can get updates from:
PIB: https://pib.gov.in/
National Food Security Portal: https://nfsa.gov.in
myScheme ONORC Page: https://www.myscheme.gov.in/schemes/onorc