New Delhi, Feb 18 (PTI) Under the new rules, only online applications for ration cards will be accepted in Delhi, and each member of the household will be required to furnish their Aadhaar numbers for it, officials said on Wednesday.

The applications received online will be scrutinised at the food supply officer level, and field visits will be conducted by them if needed, for verification of applicants. They may also raise queries regarding the details of the applicant.

All zonal assistant commissioners of the Food, Supplies and Consumer Affairs department of the Delhi government have been informed about a standard operating procedure (SOP) for processing applications for new ration cards.

The government is expected to soon start the process for filling up over 8 lakh ration card vacancies in the city. Delhi has a quota of around 72 lakh ration cards, and fresh applications are invited after vacancies are created either due to death, surrender or migration, officials said.

The government notified the Delhi Food Security Rules, 2026, on February 4, and the SOP prepared based on it lays down guidelines for processing fresh ration card applications.

The assistant commissioners have been directed to coordinate with the district magistrates concerned to implement the process of issuing ration cards as per the SOP and the Delhi Food Security Rules, 2026.

The eldest female in a family (above 18 years of age) will be cited as the head of the household while furnishing ration card applications. If the age of the female of the family is below 18 years, the eldest male member will be indicated as head of the household until the female member attains the age of 18 years, as laid down in the SOP.

The applications will be submitted online through the e-district portal, by the head of the household along with a copy of the Aadhaar card of all the family members, it prescribes.

Proof of residence in Delhi, if Aadhaar address is different, a family income certificate issued by the Revenue department, an undertaking of eligibility, and a copy of the electricity bill, will need to be submitted with the applications.

The Delhi government has raised the annual family income cap from earlier Rs one lakh to 1.20 lakh, in order to expand coverage of the public distribution system through ration cards, officials said.

The households having an annual family income of up to Rs 1.20 lakh will be considered eligible households for issuance of a new Ration card.

However, those owning land or building in any A-E category colony, paying income tax, possessing four-wheelers, having a government job or power connection above 2 KW, will not be issued ration cards, according to new rules.

After proper scrutiny and ascertaining the eligibility of the applicant, the food supply officers will forward ration card applications to the assistant commissioners, who in turn will place them before a district-level committee headed by the district magistrate concerned.

The Committee will again scrutinise and evaluate applications according to the Delhi Food Security Rules, 2026, before accepting or rejecting them. The panel will also prioritise the approved applications, focusing on needy persons.

Over and above the number of vacancies of new ration cards for the district, the Committee will also maintain a waiting list of 20 per cent of the total vacancy, to be served on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the SOP.

The total number of beneficiaries allowed for Delhi will be divided and grouped district-wise in proportion to the total number of voters in the district. The voter basis would be switched to a census basis as and when the ongoing Census operations results are released for formal usage.

Under the new rules, all additional district magistrates will act as district grievance officials to deal with complaints of the PDS beneficiaries.

The Public Grievance Commission has been notified to act as the State Food Commission under the Delhi Food Security Rules, 2026, to dispose of appeals against district grievance redressal officers. PTI VIT HIG