Different Types of Ration Cards in 2025

The National Food Security Act (NFSA) andthe Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) advise the Indian state governments to identify eligible households and issue food grains to them at subsidised rates under the public distribution system(PDS). To ensure the smooth distribution of food grains and avoid misuse of the scheme, state governments issue ration cards to eligible households depending upon their socioeconomic status.

• A ration card allows you to receive subsidised food grains under TPDS and NFSA.
• State governments identify eligible households based on their income and other parameters and issue ration cards to them.
• State governments following TPDS issue five types of ration cards.
• State governments following NFSA issue two types of ration cards.

The NFSA was launched in 2013, before which ration cards were issued under the TPDS. Under the TPDS, 5 differenttypes of ration cardsare issued. However, after the introduction of the NFSA, the existingration card listwas modified and 3 were eliminated . Many state governments have already adopted the NFSA, while many still operate under TPDS.

Types of Ration Cards under TPDS

The TPDS ration card list includes the following -

• Priority Household (PHH) ration card
• Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) ration card
• Above Poverty Line (APL) ration card
• Below Poverty Line (BPL) ration card, and
• Annapurna Yojana (AY) ration card

Types of Ration Cards under NFSA

The NFSA ration card list includes the following -

• Priority Household (PHH) ration card
• Non-Priority Household (NPHH) ration card

Also Read - Know how to get the EWS (economically weaker section) Certificate

PHH stands for Priority Household. This ration card has the following features:

• It is saffron in colour and is issued to households with low income.
• A PHH cardholder is entitled to receive up to 5 kgs of food grains per person every month.
• Under this scheme, the subsidised rates for food grains are ₹3/kg for rice, ₹2/kg for wheat and ₹1/kg for coarse grains.

Not every individual is entitled to be included in the PHH ration card list.The government has certain guidelines regarding the inclusions and exclusions from the list.Individuals included under the PHH ration card are as follows :

• A transgender person
• A person with more than 40% disability
• Households belonging to primitive tribal groups
• Households with no shelter
• Households with a widow pension holder, and
• Destitute households living on alms

Also Read - Here's a quick guide to the Ayushman Bharat Health Account Card Households not included under the PHH ration cardare as follows :

• Households with more than 3 rooms, pukka walls and a pukka roof.
• Income tax-paying households.
• Households with pensioners.
• Households with members earning more than ₹15,000 in an urban area or more than ₹10,000 in a rural area.
• Households with regular government employees (gazetted/non-gazetted of either state or central government, PSU (Public Sector Undertaking) or government-aided local and autonomous bodies).
• Households with a domestic electric connection with a load over 2 KW.
• Households that consume 300 units of energy every month.
• Households, with their enterprises, are registered with the government for services and manufacturing.
• Households owning a motorised vehicle, a 4-wheeler, a heavy vehicle, a trawler or more than two motorboats.
• Households with mechanised agricultural equipment like tractors and harvesters.

NPHH stands for Non-Priority Households. The NPHH ration card is issued to households that are not eligible for thePHH ration card . TheNPHH ration card acts only as identity proof, as individuals holding a PHH ration card are not entitled to any food grains.

A BPL card is issued to families living below the poverty line as specified by the respective state government. Families with BPL ration cardsreceive up to 10 kg to 20 kg of food grains at 50% of the cost per family per month. The subsidised retail price and the quantities of wheat, rice, sugar and other items depend on the respective state governments.

An APL card is issued to families living above the poverty line as specified by the respective state government. Families with APL ration cardsreceive up to 10 kg to 20 kg of food grains at 100% of the cost per family per month. The subsidised retail price and the quantities of wheat, rice, sugar and kerosene oil depend on the respective state governments. Also Read - Find out what is the Non-Creamy Layer Certificate and how you can get it.

The AY card is given to financially weak individuals over 65. The AY cardholder is entitled to receive food grains up to 10 kg per month. The respective state governments issue this card to elder people who qualify under the scheme.

The AYY ration card is issued to families with a very low and unstable income, as identified by the state government. AAY cardholders receive up to 35 kgs of food grains, including 15 kgs of rice and 20 kgs of wheat per month/family. The subsidised rates for food grains under this scheme are ₹3/kg for rice and ₹2/kg for wheat. Unemployed people, women, old aged people, daily wage earners, rickshaw pullers and coolies are issued the AAY card.

The issuance of ration cards to low-income families ensures that everyone can afford food grains. The list of ration card types has been categorised according to your income and purchasing power to ensure thesmooth and fair distribution of food grains in the Indian economy. You must know the ration card list to see if you qualify for any card.