Wed Feb 19 19:18:19 UTC 2025: ## Tamil Nadu’s Ration Card Data Shows Discrepancies on Central Government Website

**Chennai, February 20, 2025** – Conflicting data on the Union government’s Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) website is painting a misleading picture of Tamil Nadu’s ration card usage. While one section of the website claims that a significant percentage of ration cards (approximately 85% of Priority Household (PHH) and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) cards) are “silent” – meaning no entitlements have been drawn for three months – reality paints a different picture.

According to the DFPD’s food grains bulletin, rice off-take for the period April 2024 to January 2025 was 91.75% for AAY and 109.5% for PHH cards. This high off-take, along with demand from non-PHH cardholders, has forced Tamil Nadu authorities to purchase rice from the open market to meet the demand, despite the high cost.

The discrepancy stems from conflicting data within the website itself. One section reports a large number of inactive cards, while another section, the Integrated Management of Public Distribution System (IMPDS), shows significantly higher monthly transactions for both PHH and AAY cards. For February, IMPDS data shows nearly 1.41 lakh tonnes of food grains distributed, with 1.35 lakh tonnes being fortified rice.

A senior official from the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Department stated that the issue of data discrepancies has been raised with the National Informatics Centre (NIC), highlighting the need for accurate data representation on the website. The significant difference in reported usage versus actual consumption underscores the need for improved data management and coordination within the Union government’s food distribution system.

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