19,000 Migrant Ration Cards Linked to NFSA in Jammu Kashmir | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has fast-tracked the integration of migrant ration cards into the National Food Security Act (NFSA) database, with more than 19,000 cards already digitised and another 8,000 under process, while assuring free ration for April and May to all eligible beneficiaries.

The development emerged during a high-level review meeting chaired by Principal Secretary, Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, Chandraker Bharti, in Jammu on Wednesday to assess implementation of the Special Relief Ration Scheme for Kashmiri and Jammu migrants.

Officials informed the meeting that over 5,200 migrant families have already lifted ration under the scheme since distribution began on April 18, 2026. The government has also extended the April ration distribution period into May to ensure that no eligible beneficiary is deprived during the transition to the digitised NFSA-based system.

The administration said the full quota of ration has been supplied to all designated depots and beneficiaries who could not collect ration in April are being provided a two-month quota covering both April and May.

The government recently amended the Jammu and Kashmir Food Security Rules, 2021, and the Targeted Public Distribution (Control) Order, 2023, to enable integration of migrant ration cards with the NFSA database. Officials said the move would allow migrants to access various welfare schemes from which they had remained excluded for the past 35 years due to non-digitised ration cards.

Authorities reiterated that all existing relief provisions for migrants would continue unchanged. All relief ration card holders, irrespective of category, will continue to receive 11 kilograms of free ration per person every month along with one kilogram of sugar under the existing entitlement structure.

Migrants registered under the non-relief category, including pensioners classified under the NPHH category, will also receive five kilograms of ration at government-approved rates as per NFSA norms.

During the meeting, officials decided that teams from the Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Department, the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department and the Relief Organisation would conduct outreach programmes to ensure ration reaches all eligible migrant households, including those whose e-KYC formalities are still pending.

The government also decided to launch an extensive awareness campaign to inform migrants that the integration process is aimed at welfare inclusion, transparency, digitisation of records and extension of social security benefits, while safeguarding all existing relief entitlements.

Directions were issued for strict action against fair price shop dealers found refusing to distribute free ration as per government norms. Officials were also instructed to initiate legal action against rumour-mongering elements allegedly attempting to derail the scheme and intimidate migrant beneficiaries.

The Social Welfare Department, in coordination with the Relief Organisation, will organise additional camps to facilitate migrant families in applying for welfare schemes such as old-age pension, widow pension, disability pension, marriage assistance, Ayushman Bharat and scholarships. Officials said around 600 families have already availed benefits under various social sector schemes after integration of their ration cards into the NFSA database.

“The government is fully committed to operationalise the new scheme for all migrants within the shortest possible time period. All genuine beneficiaries will continue to receive ration as per their entitlement with full protection of the existing relief provisions,” Bharti said.