Linking Aadhaar with Ration Card

In India, the ration card serves as the oldest and most established proof of residence. By linking the ration card with Aadhaar, you not only gain access to a range of additional benefits but also contribute to the prevention of fraud. It is possible to link your Aadhaar card to your ration card through both online and offline methods.

To facilitate the linkage of your ration card to your Aadhaar card, carefully follow the step-by-step instructions provided below:

1. Proceed to the nearest Public Distribution System (PDS) or Ration shop and ensure to bring along all the necessary documents.

2. Submit all the required documents to the PDS/Ration shop.

3. The PDS/Ration shop representative might request fingerprint authentication to verify your Aadhaar card.

4. Once the documents have been submitted, you will receive an SMS notification indicating the commencement of the linking process.

5. Another SMS will inform you of the successful linking of your Aadhaar card with your ration card.

Be sure to have all the necessary documents on hand, including photocopies of the Aadhaar card for each family member, the original ration card for verification purposes, a passport-sized photograph of the head of the family, and a copy of the bank passbook if the Aadhaar card is not linked to a bank account.

To initiate the linking process online, follow the steps outlined below:

1. Visit the official Public Distribution System (PDS) portal specific to your state.

2. Locate and select the option to link Aadhaar with active cards.

3. Enter your ration card number followed by your Aadhaar card number.

4. Provide your registered mobile phone number.

5. Choose the "Continue/Submit" option.

6. An OTP (One-Time Password) will be sent to your mobile phone.

7. Enter the OTP on the Aadhaar Ration Link page to complete your request.

8. You will receive an SMS notification once the linking process is completed.

For further information, consider reading our article on how to link your Aadhaar number with your bank account.

Linking your Aadhaar card to your ration card offers numerous advantages, including:

- Elimination of fake ration card holders who wrongfully exploit benefits meant for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, ensuring that the deserving recipients receive the intended benefits.

- Reduction in the occurrence of fraudulent cases through the association of these cards.

- Removal of multiple duplicate ration cards issued to a single family.

- Elimination of dishonest intermediaries by establishing a traceable record through the PDS system.

- Identification of genuine beneficiaries through fingerprint authentication.

To simplify the process, we have compiled a list of required documents for linking your Aadhaar card to your ration card, both online and offline:

- Photocopies of Aadhaar cards for all family members.

- Photocopy of the Aadhaar card of the head of the family.

- Photocopy of the ration card along with the original card for verification.

- Bank passbook copy (if the bank account is not linked to the Aadhaar card).

- A passport-sized photograph of the head of the family.

For further details, refer to our article on how to link your Aadhaar card with your EPF account.

To be eligible for government benefits, the government has made it mandatory to link your Aadhaar card to your ration card. Priority ration cards are allocated to families who meet the eligibility criteria set by the state government. Under this provision, each household is entitled to 5 kilograms of food grains per member. If your mobile phone number is not registered with UIDAI, you will be unable to access any Aadhaar-related online services. Therefore, it is imperative that you link your mobile phone number to Aadhaar by visiting an Aadhaar Enrollment Center.