SRINAGAR: The number of individuals registered under the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Jammu and Kashmir has seen an increase, reaching 68,49,967 in 2026. This data was presented by the Union Government in the Lok Sabha.
Information was available with The Chenab Times indicating that the figures, compiled in the State/UT-wise data presented by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, show a rise from 67,47,183 registered PDS beneficiaries in 2025. This represents an increase of 1,02,784 beneficiaries according to the latest available data.
The Union Government stated that states and Union Territories receive financial support through various mechanisms for food subsidies, intra-State movement and handling of foodgrains, and margins for Fair Price Shop (FPS) dealers under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
For Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre allocated Rs 54.54 crore during the 2025-26 fiscal year for assistance to state agencies. This funding is designated for the intra-State movement and handling of foodgrains, along with margins for FPS dealers. In the preceding fiscal years, the corresponding releases were Rs 89.82 crore in 2024-25, Rs 29.58 crore in 2023-24, Rs 188.03 crore in 2022-23, and Rs 17.69 crore in 2021-22.
The Ministry further elaborated that the Department of Food and Public Distribution reimburses expenses incurred by states that have adopted the Decentralised Procurement (DCP) system for the distribution of foodgrains to beneficiaries of Central schemes. Funds are also channeled through the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for foodgrains handed over by states to the Central Pool.
Food subsidy is provided to FCI and DCP states to bridge the gap between the economic cost of foodgrains and the Central Issue Price, at which these grains are supplied to the states.
The government also shared state-wise data on ineligible ration cards that were deleted over the past five years. The ministry clarified that this deletion exercise is specifically aimed at removing beneficiaries who are not eligible from the PDS database.
Under the scheme designed for the intra-State movement and handling of foodgrains, funds are released to cover expenditures related to transportation and handling. This also includes basic and additional margins payable to FPS dealers.
At the national level, the Centre reported that Rs 75,254.34 crore had been disbursed as food subsidy to FCI and DCP states under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) as of August 6, 2026, for the 2026-27 period. The ministry noted that under the PMGKAY initiative, an additional five kilograms of foodgrains per person per month were distributed free of cost to beneficiaries under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana and Priority Household categories from April 2020 to December 2022.
The recent figures indicate that Jammu and Kashmir’s PDS beneficiary base comprises almost 68.5 lakh individuals, highlighting the extensive reach of the subsidised foodgrain distribution network across the Union Territory.
The Chenab Times News Desk