*19,000 digitized, free ration for April-May assured
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 7: In continuation of the earlier meeting, Principal Secretary, Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation & Reconstruction, Chandraker Bharti, chaired a review meeting to assess the implementation of ration distribution under the Special Relief Ration Scheme for Kashmiri/Jammu Migrants, notified vide Government Order No. 15-JK(FCS&CA) of 2026 dated 05.03.2026, and the extension of social sector scheme benefits to the eligible migrants.
The meeting was attended by Commissioner Secretary, Food Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Saurabh Bhagat, Relief & Rehabilitation Commissioner (M), J&K, Senior Superintendent of Police, Jammu, State Informatics Officer, NIC J&K and senior officers of the Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation & Reconstruction, Social Welfare Department, Food Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department and National Informatics Centre.
It was observed that more than 19,000 migrant ration cards have already been punched into the NFSA database and the process of integration of about 8,000 migrant ration cards is in the pipeline. It was apprised that the full quota of ration has been made available at all designated ration depots and more than 5200 families have, so far, lifted the ration in terms of the Special Relief Ration Scheme, distribution in terms of which has commenced w.e.f. 18-04-2026. It was further informed that those who could not lift ration in the month of April are being provided two months’ free ration (April & May 2026).
Worthwhile to mention that the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has made necessary amendments in the Jammu & Kashmir Food Security Rules, 2021, and the Targeted Public Distribution (Control) Order 2023 for integration of the Migrant Ration Cards into the National Food Security Act (NFSA) database, to enable the migrants avail the benefits of various Government Schemes. The migrants were not able to avail the benefits of the social sector schemes for the last 35 years due to their ration cards being non-digitized and not integrated with the national database.
The Government, in terms of various Government Orders and notifications, has repeatedly clarified that the earlier scale of ration distribution to the migrants registered under the relief category and norms/procedures for inclusion, deletion, bifurcation, conversion and corrections, etc shall continue and that all relief ration card holders (irrespective of categorization into PHH, NPHH or Special category) shall continue to receive 11 Kg free ration per person per month and 1 Kg sugar as per the extant scale of ration distribution. Besides, those registered with the Relief Organisation under the non relief category (Pensioners etc) and categorized into NPHH category will also receive 5 Kg ration on the Government-approved rates as per their entitlement under NFSA on cost basis.
The Government has also given an extension in the distribution period of ration against the migrant ration cards for the month of April 2026 into May 2026 (in addition to the ration of May 2026), so as to ensure that migrant beneficiaries are not deprived of their entitled ration.
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