PANAJI
Goa witnessed the cancellation of 3,633 ration cards during 2024 and 2025, with 2025 alone accounting for 3,467 cancellations, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Nimuben Bambhaniya, in a written reply, informed Parliament that 1,19,400 ration cards were active in Goa as on date under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
The data shows that Goa recorded only 166 cancellations in 2024, while the number rose sharply to 3,467 in 2025, indicating a large-scale verification and cleansing of beneficiary records during the year. The Minister clarified that the responsibility for identifying beneficiaries and maintaining ration card databases rests with the respective States and Union Territories. She said ration cards are cancelled after periodic verification exercises to remove ineligible beneficiaries and ensure that benefits reach genuine recipients. The Minister highlighted that the key reasons for cancellation include identification of duplicate or ineligible beneficiaries, e-KYC mismatches, deaths of beneficiaries and permanent migration of households. However, she stressed that no ration cards have been cancelled solely due to failure to complete e-KYC or Aadhaar authentication.
Nationally, 90.26 lakh (9,026,644) ration cards were cancelled across the country during the two-year period. Bihar reported the highest number of cancellations, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. The Centre also informed Parliament that nearly 20,000 beneficiaries in Goa voluntarily surrendered their ration cards over the last five years after becoming ineligible due to an increase in the prescribed annual income limit.
She said that the exercise forms part of the government's efforts to streamline the Public Distribution System (PDS), eliminate duplicate and ineligible beneficiaries, and ensure that food grain subsidies under the NFSA reach eligible households.
