Bengaluru, 24 August 2026: Karnataka government will not tolerate any irregularities in the distribution of ration to beneficiaries, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad told the Legislative Assembly.
Responding to a question raised by Bangarapet MLA S.N. Narayanaswamy regarding complaints of irregularities in ration distribution, the Minister said fair price shops against which complaints of malpractice are received will be suspended.
He said the matter would subsequently be investigated by the Joint Director or Deputy Director. If violations are established, the security deposit of the fair price shop would be forfeited and its licence cancelled.
Karnataka has a total of 20,547 fair price shops, the Minister said. Biometric authentication has been introduced to make ration distribution more transparent, while awareness committees have also been formed at the fair price shop level. Beneficiaries can report irregularities by calling the 1967 helpline, he said.
CCTV and GPS Measures to Check Ration Diversion
Government is taking measures to prevent the diversion and illegal sale of Anna Bhagya rice in the black market. Department has directed that CCTV cameras be installed at all godowns. Directions have also been issued to equip vehicles transporting ration commodities with GPS tracking systems.
1.54 Crore Ration Cards in Karnataka
Karnataka has a total of 1,54,64,000 ration cards, including priority and non-priority cards. As per the Centre's NFSA foodgrain allocation, the State receives 2,17,403 metric tonnes of foodgrains every month.
Ragi and jowar are procured from farmers under the Minimum Support Price scheme through KFCSC, KSCMF and KSAMB and distributed to beneficiaries. Rice required for State schemes is procured through the open market.
Over the last three years, the State has distributed 96,16,988 metric tonnes of rice, 9,90,516 metric tonnes of ragi and 4,54,243 metric tonnes of white jowar to beneficiaries. Government has spent ₹22,756 crore over the last three years towards ration cards and distribution of an additional five kilograms of rice.
3.70 Lakh New Priority Cards Issued in Three Years
Minister Rizwan Arshad said the Central Government had identified 7,76,206 suspected ration cards in Karnataka. Following directions from the Centre, around 4.94 lakh cards are being reviewed.
New beneficiaries are being issued ration cards based on the allocation available from the Central Government following the card review process. Between June 1, 2023 and July 31, 2026, the State issued 3,70,803 priority ration cards and 6,358 non-priority ration cards, the Minister informed the Assembly.
Keywords
Karnataka ration distribution irregularities, Karnataka ration distribution, Rizwan Arshad, fair price shops Karnataka, Anna Bhagya rice, ration card Karnataka, food and civil supplies, Citizen News Puttur