Most government schemes require the potential beneficiary to show the ration card at the time of application or receipt of benefit. Therefore, it is important to download the Ration card online and keep a copy with you at all times. Many governments have also adopted the electronic PDS, or EPDS for short. E-ration card download can also be done for the same.
Ration cards are issued under the Public Distribution System (PDS) of the state in which you reside. In order to download ration cards, you can visit the official website of your state’s PDS. Below we detail the steps involved to download ration cards online for those in need, whether to show them as ID proof or to receive benefits under a government scheme.
Step 1: Visit the official website of the PDS of the state - nfsa.gov.in in which your ration card was made. These are different for all states.
Step 2: There is usually a highlighted section that lists down all services related to ration cards. Find the section on the homepage and click on it. It can also be a link on the “Citizen’s Corner” of the homepage or a similar panel.
Step 3: You will find a list of all the services provided by the PDS in that section. You can proceed to select the “Print Ration Card” or “e-ration card Download” or “Get e-ration card” section or tab on the panel.
Step 4: Next, you will be prompted to enter details in a form. These details usually involve your ration card number, Aadhar number, and personal details of the head of the family, like name, year of birth, and finally, the mobile number that you used at the time of registration to the scheme.
Step 5: These details are then verified by the PDS authorities and you are redirected to another page where your Ration card is available for download. You can download the PDF of the ration card.
In some cases, people do not know their ration card number either because they've lost the card or they've forgotten the number. In that case, you can follow the following steps to download the ration card.
Step 1: Head over to the official website of the PDS in your state.
Step 2: Go over the section with Ration card services.
Step 3: Find the service marked "View Your Ration Card details." You will then be prompted to fill in some details on the next page.
Step 4: Finally, click on Submit. You will be redirected to another page. There you will find all the details related to your ration card. You can make a note of these details and then follow the steps stated in the previous section to download your new ration card.
Step 5: You can use this duplicate copy to obtain the new card from the MeeSeva office. You can also use this duplicate copy at other places in lieu of the original ration card.