One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC): Portability, Free Ration & How to Use
One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) is a technology-driven portability system under the National Food Security Act, 2013 that enables eligible ration-card holders, especially migrant workers and mobile families, to access their foodgrain entitlement from ePoS-enabled Fair Price Shops outside their home location without obtaining a new ration card.
Updated: 5 September 2026
What is One Nation One Ration Card?
ONORC is a reform of the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) that enables portability of National Food Security Act benefits. A beneficiary can access entitled foodgrains from an ePoS-enabled Fair Price Shop away from the place where the ration card was originally issued.
The system is particularly important for migrant workers, construction workers, seasonal labourers, students and other households whose members may live or work in another district or State.
Portability can be used without surrendering the home-State ration card and without applying for a separate ration card in the destination State or Union Territory.
Who Can Use ONORC?
ONORC applies to eligible beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act through:
- Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) ration cards; and
- Priority Household (PHH) ration cards.
The ration card must be part of the digitised NFSA system and the portability transaction is generally processed through an ePoS-enabled Fair Price Shop.
NFSA Foodgrain Entitlement under ONORC
| Category | Monthly Entitlement |
|---|---|
| Priority Household (PHH) | 5 kg of foodgrains per person per month |
| Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) | 35 kg of foodgrains per household per month |
Current Department of Food & Public Distribution FAQs state that about 80.48 crore beneficiaries have been identified by States and Union Territories against the intended NFSA coverage of 81.35 crore persons.
Under the current PMGKAY arrangement, these entitled NFSA foodgrains are distributed free of cost to eligible beneficiaries, subject to Government orders in force.
How to Use ONORC at a Fair Price Shop
- Visit an ePoS-enabled Fair Price Shop in the destination State or district.
- Provide your ration-card number, Aadhaar number or other details accepted by the system.
- The dealer retrieves your entitlement through the integrated PDS system.
- Complete the prescribed biometric, Aadhaar, OTP or permitted alternative authentication.
- Receive the eligible foodgrain quantity in full or in part, depending on the portability transaction.
A physical ration card is not always essential if the beneficiary can provide the required ration-card or Aadhaar details and successfully complete authentication.
Aadhaar, ePoS and Alternative Authentication
Two major technological enablers of ONORC are ePoS devices at Fair Price Shops and Aadhaar seeding of NFSA beneficiaries.
Current Department guidance also provides alternatives where biometric authentication fails. States and Union Territories have been advised that genuine beneficiaries should not be denied foodgrains merely because of biometric failure, lack of Aadhaar seeding, ePoS failure or network problems.
Depending on the system, alternatives can include iris authentication, Aadhaar OTP, PDS OTP or other permitted identity-document based verification.
Benefits for Migrant Workers and Families
- No need to obtain a new ration card after migration.
- No need to surrender the ration card issued by the home State.
- Foodgrain entitlement can be accessed outside the home district or State.
- Family members can split entitlement between home and destination locations where supported.
- Portability reduces dependence on local residence for access to NFSA food security.
- No separate ONORC registration fee or additional beneficiary charge is required.
Mera Ration, Annavitran and IM-PDS
The Department of Food & Public Distribution uses national digital platforms to support ONORC and monitor PDS transactions.
Annavitran Portal
Annavitran monitors ePoS-based foodgrain distribution and intra-State portability data reported by States and Union Territories.
IM-PDS
The Integrated Management of Public Distribution System supports inter-State portability, reconciliation and monitoring under ONORC.
Mera Ration
The Department has also provided a mobile application for NFSA beneficiaries with services such as entitlement information, nearby ration-shop search, transaction history, Aadhaar-seeding status, ONORC eligibility and feedback.
ONORC Rollout: From 2019 Pilot to Nationwide Portability
The original 2019 rollout began with inter-State portability between Telangana-Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra-Gujarat. Additional States were progressively added as ration-card databases were digitised, Aadhaar seeding increased and ePoS systems were integrated.
The old page's references to four-State or eleven-State grids describe the early implementation phase and should not be read as the current geographical scope.
Legal Framework
ONORC operates within the framework of the National Food Security Act, 2013 and the Targeted Public Distribution System. Section 12 of the NFSA supports reforms such as end-to-end computerisation, Aadhaar-based identification, transparency, doorstep delivery and improved PDS efficiency.
Identification of eligible households and issuance of ration cards remain responsibilities of the respective State and Union Territory Governments within the NFSA coverage determined for them.
Key Points to Remember
- ONORC allows NFSA ration portability without obtaining a new ration card.
- PHH beneficiaries are entitled to 5 kg per person per month.
- AAY households are entitled to 35 kg per household per month.
- Current NFSA foodgrains are being distributed free of cost under PMGKAY.
- Portability generally requires an ePoS-enabled Fair Price Shop.
- Biometric failure should not by itself result in denial to a genuine beneficiary where alternative verification is available.
- The 2019 four-State pilot is historical; the system has since evolved into national portability.