fcs.up.gov.in → NFSA eligibility list → district → block/town → Gram Panchayat/ward → ration shop.
2Track an application
fcs.up.gov.in → application status → your reference number.
3Download the card
fcs.up.gov.in, DigiLocker or the Mera Ration 2.0 app.
4Apply for a new card
Jan Seva Kendra (CSC) or the tehsil/block supply office, with an income certificate and every member’s Aadhaar.
5e-KYC
Every member, free, on the ration shop’s ePoS machine or with the Mera eKYC app.
What Is a UP Ration Card?
A ration card (राशन कार्ड) is issued by the Food and Civil Supplies Department of Uttar Pradesh. It entitles a family to free grain from a fair price shop (राशन की दुकान, also called a kotedar) under the Public Distribution System. It is also one of the most accepted proofs of address and family members: it goes with applications for an income certificate, caste certificate and domicile certificate, and with bank accounts and school admissions.
The cards are issued under the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA), which covers up to 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population nationally. UP, the most populous state, has the largest number of NFSA cards of any state. The system runs online at fcs.up.gov.in; the beneficiary lists are on nfsa.up.gov.in.
Card Types — AAY vs PHH (and What Happened to APL/BPL)
Under the NFSA, the old APL (above poverty line) and BPL (below poverty line) cards were replaced. UP now issues two NFSA card types, and which one you hold decides how much grain you get:
| Card | Who it is for | Entitlement | How it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAY (Antyodaya Anna Yojana, अंत्योदय) | The poorest families: destitute households, elderly or disabled heads of family, families with no regular income | 35 kg per household a month | Fixed: the same for 2 members or 8 |
| PHH (Priority Household, पात्र गृहस्थी) | Low-income families who meet the state’s criteria | 5 kg per person a month | Grows with family size |
The part most people get wrong: because PHH is per person and AAY is per household, a large PHH family can get more grain than an AAY family. An 8-member PHH family gets 40 kg a month; an AAY family of any size gets 35 kg. AAY is meant for the poorest households, which are often small or elderly.
Families above the income limits don’t get an NFSA card and don’t get free grain.
How Much Grain You Get — And Why It’s Free
The NFSA fixes the prices in law: ₹3 per kg for rice, ₹2 for wheat and ₹1 for coarse grains. But you pay nothing. Since January 1, 2023, NFSA grain has been free for AAY and PHH cardholders. In November 2023 the Union Cabinet extended free grain under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for five years from January 1, 2024, that is, until December 2028, for about 81.35 crore people across India.
What a UP card got in October 2026:
| Card | Wheat | Rice (fortified) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHH, per member | 2 kg | 3 kg | 5 kg |
| AAY, per card | 14 kg | 21 kg | 35 kg |
The wheat-rice split changes from month to month (in some months part of it comes as millet or maize) and can differ by district, so check the current month’s allocation at your ration shop. AAY cards also get sugar: 3 kg a quarter at ₹18 per kg (₹54), as distributed in September 2026.
Examples: a PHH family of 4 gets 4 × 5 = 20 kg of free grain a month. An AAY family gets 35 kg, whatever its size.
Eligibility and Income Limits
UP’s eligibility criteria date from 2014. In 2022 the state’s Food Commissioner confirmed they had not changed. A family qualifies for a PHH card if it lives permanently in UP, does not already hold a card and is not excluded by any of these:
| Exclusion | Detail |
|---|---|
| Income | Family income above ₹2 lakh a year (rural) or ₹3 lakh a year (urban), all earning members together |
| Income tax | Any member pays income tax |
| Vehicle | A four-wheeler, tractor or harvester |
| Appliances | An air conditioner, or a generator of 5 KVA or more |
| Arms licence | More than one member holds an arms licence |
| Property (urban) | A house, flat or commercial space of more than 100 square metres |
The Food Commissioner also said that a pucca house built under a government scheme, an electricity connection, one arms licence or a motorcycle does not make a family ineligible.
AAY is for the poorest within this group: families with no regular income, destitute households and those headed by elderly, widowed or disabled members.
The income you declare must match your income certificate from eDistrict, which you attach to a new application. Some guides quote ₹1.98 lakh and ₹2.55 lakh as the limits; we found no official basis for those figures.
How to Check Your Name in the NFSA List
This is the most common task, and it needs no login.
-
Open fcs.up.gov.in
On the Food and Civil Supplies Department’s portal, open the ration card eligibility list (NFSA पात्रता सूची). The list is also reachable from nfsa.up.gov.in.
-
Choose your district
Pick your district (जनपद) from the 75, then rural (ग्रामीण) or urban (नगरीय).
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Narrow it down to your shop
Rural: block, then Gram Panchayat. Urban: town, then ward. Then choose your fair price shop.
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Find your card
Every card under that shop appears with the cardholder’s name, card number, category (AAY or PHH) and the number of units (members). Open your card number to see the members listed on it.
If your family is not on the list, you don’t have an active NFSA card: apply for a new one (below). If a member is missing, apply to add them.
How to Check Your Application Status
After applying for a new card or a change, track it with the reference (acknowledgement) number you were given:
- fcs.up.gov.in: open the application status option, enter your reference number and the captcha, and verify with the OTP sent to your registered mobile. The status shows whether the application is submitted, under verification, approved or rejected.
- Mera Ration 2.0 app: once the card is issued, it shows your card, members, monthly entitlement and transaction history.
If the application is stuck at verification for weeks, ask at your tehsil or block supply office, or complain on jansunwai.up.nic.in or the CM Helpline 1076 with your reference number.
How to Download the e-Ration Card
A cardholder can download a digital copy that is valid wherever a ration card is accepted:
-
fcs.up.gov.in
Use the ration card details option, enter your card number, verify with the OTP and download the PDF.
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DigiLocker
On digilocker.gov.in or the app, search “Ration Card”, choose the Food and Civil Supplies Department, Uttar Pradesh, enter your ration card number and click “Get Document”. The card appears under Issued Documents.
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Mera Ration 2.0 app
The Government of India’s app, launched in August 2024. Log in with Aadhaar and OTP to see your card, entitlement, purchases and the nearest ration shop.
How to Apply for a New Ration Card
Documents Required
- Aadhaar of every family member
- Income certificate from eDistrict, showing income within the limit
- Address proof: electricity or water bill, house papers, or a domicile certificate
- Identity proof of the head of family: voter ID, PAN card or passport
- Age proof: birth certificate or school certificate
- Passport-size photos (the head of family’s is mandatory)
- Bank account details of the head of family
- Gas connection details, if you have one
- Parivar Register Nakal (rural families): proof of who is in the family, which strengthens the application
Under Section 13 of the NFSA, the eldest woman of the household aged 18 or over is the head of the family on the ration card.
The Process
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Get the form
Download the application form from fcs.up.gov.in, or get it at a Jan Seva Kendra or the supply office.
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Fill in every member
Head of family, every member’s name, Aadhaar number, relationship and age, the family’s income and the address. The income must match your income certificate.
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Attach the documents and submit
Submit the form with the documents at a Jan Seva Kendra (CSC), or at the tehsil or block supply office (आपूर्ति कार्यालय). Where the portal’s online option is open, you can apply on fcs.up.gov.in directly. Keep the acknowledgement with the reference number.
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Verification
The supply inspector (पूर्ति निरीक्षक) checks your details and documents, and may visit your home.
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Card issued, then e-KYC
Once approved, your family is added to the NFSA list under your fair price shop. In 2026 new cards are activated only after every member’s Aadhaar e-KYC, so complete it straight away (below).
Aadhaar e-KYC — Do It for Every Member
UP is carrying out e-KYC of every member (unit) of every AAY and PHH card. Districts have warned that members without e-KYC can lose their share of grain, and new cards are activated only after e-KYC. There is no single statewide deadline published; in October 2026 an official said there was no order to cancel cards permanently for missing e-KYC. Don’t wait for a deadline: it is free and takes a few minutes.
Two ways to do it:
- At your ration shop: the shop’s ePoS machine does Aadhaar fingerprint or iris authentication. Take every member who still needs it. It is free.
- At home, by face authentication: install the Mera eKYC app and the Aadhaar FaceRD app, enter the member’s Aadhaar number, verify with the OTP, and capture the face. This helps elderly members who can’t get to the shop or whose fingerprints don’t scan.
Adding or Removing a Family Member
Changes to the card depend directly on eDistrict certificates.
Adding a Newborn or a New Member
- Newborn: the child’s birth certificate and Aadhaar (Baal Aadhaar).
- New spouse after marriage: the marriage certificate, the spouse’s Aadhaar, and proof that the name has been removed from the card of the family they left.
- Apply at a Jan Seva Kendra, the supply office or through fcs.up.gov.in, then complete the new member’s e-KYC.
Removing a Member Who Has Died or Moved
- Death: the death certificate from eDistrict.
- Married into or moved to another family: proof that they have been added to the other card.
- Remove a member who has died promptly. It keeps the card correct for e-KYC drives and list checks.
On a PHH card each member is worth 5 kg a month, so adding or removing a member changes the family’s grain. A change in the family can also change the card’s category.
One Nation One Ration Card — Take Your Grain Anywhere in India
Under One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC), live in all 36 states and union territories since June 2022, a UP cardholder can take their NFSA grain from any fair price shop in India with Aadhaar authentication on the ePoS machine. A worker from eastern UP employed in Delhi, Mumbai or Gujarat can draw their share there, and the family at home can still take the rest. Nationally, more than 125 crore portability transactions have been made.
Portability needs the member’s Aadhaar seeded to the card and e-KYC done. The Mera Ration 2.0 app shows your entitlement and the nearest shop wherever you are.
The eDistrict Connection — Certificates the Ration Card Needs, and Gives
The ration card sits in the middle of a chain of eDistrict certificates.
What the ration card needs:
- Income certificate: proof that income is within the limit, for a new card
- Birth certificate: to add a newborn
- Death certificate: to remove a member who has died
- Parivar Register Nakal: proof of the family’s members (rural)
What the ration card gives you:
- Your Family ID: for ration card families, the ration card number is the UP Family ID (Ek Parivar Ek Pahchan). The domicile certificate on eSathi requires a Family ID, so a ration card family can apply straight away; families without a card must first register on familyid.up.gov.in.
- Address and family proof for income, caste and domicile applications, and for pensions and housing schemes.
Ration card work and eDistrict certificates can both be done at the same Jan Seva Kendra, which makes it a one-stop point for the whole chain.
Quick Reference
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Official portal | fcs.up.gov.in |
| NFSA lists | nfsa.up.gov.in |
| National portal | nfsa.gov.in |
| Department | Food and Civil Supplies Department, Uttar Pradesh |
| Law | National Food Security Act, 2013 |
| Cards in UP | About 3.63 crore (October 2026) |
| Beneficiaries | About 14.6 crore |
| Card types | AAY (35 kg a household), PHH (5 kg a person) |
| October 2026 split | PHH 2 kg wheat + 3 kg rice per member; AAY 14 kg wheat + 21 kg rice |
| Price | Free under PMGKAY until December 2028 (law: rice ₹3, wheat ₹2, coarse grain ₹1 per kg) |
| AAY sugar | 3 kg a quarter at ₹18 per kg |
| Income limit | ₹2 lakh a year (rural), ₹3 lakh a year (urban) |
| e-KYC | Every member; free at the ration shop or with the Mera eKYC + Aadhaar FaceRD apps |
| Apply | Jan Seva Kendra or tehsil/block supply office (online on fcs.up.gov.in where open) |
| Download | fcs.up.gov.in, DigiLocker, Mera Ration 2.0 |
| Portability | One Nation One Ration Card, all of India |
| Family ID | The ration card number is the UP Family ID |
| Complaints | jansunwai.up.nic.in · CM Helpline 1076 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the official website for the UP ration card?
fcs.up.gov.in, the portal of the Food and Civil Supplies Department, Uttar Pradesh. The NFSA beneficiary lists are on nfsa.up.gov.in, and the national portal is nfsa.gov.in.
How do I check if my name is in the UP ration card list?
Open fcs.up.gov.in and choose the ration card eligibility list (NFSA पात्रता सूची). Select your district, then rural or urban, then your block or town, Gram Panchayat or ward, and your fair price shop. The list shows every card under that shop with the cardholder's name, card number, category and number of units. No login is needed.
What is the difference between AAY and PHH cards?
AAY (Antyodaya Anna Yojana) cards are for the poorest families and get 35 kg of grain per household per month, whatever the family size. PHH (Priority Household, पात्र गृहस्थी) cards get 5 kg per person per month. A PHH family of 8 gets 40 kg, more than an AAY family.
Is ration free in UP?
Yes. Since January 1, 2023, NFSA grain has been free for AAY and PHH cardholders, and the Centre has extended this under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana for five years from January 1, 2024, that is, until December 2028. The ₹3 (rice), ₹2 (wheat) and ₹1 (coarse grain) per kg prices in the law no longer apply while the scheme runs.
What is the income limit for a UP ration card?
Family income up to ₹2 lakh a year in rural areas and ₹3 lakh a year in urban areas, under the UP eligibility criteria of 2014 that the Food Commissioner confirmed were unchanged in 2022. Families with an income tax payer, a four-wheeler or tractor, an AC, a generator of 5 KVA or more, or a large urban house are excluded.
How much grain do I get in UP?
PHH: 5 kg per person a month; in October 2026 that was 2 kg wheat and 3 kg fortified rice. AAY: 35 kg per card; in October 2026, 14 kg wheat and 21 kg rice. The wheat-rice split changes from month to month and sometimes by district. AAY cards also get 3 kg of sugar a quarter at ₹18 per kg.
Is Aadhaar e-KYC mandatory for my ration card?
Yes, UP is carrying out e-KYC of every member (unit) on AAY and PHH cards, and new cards are activated only after e-KYC. Do it free on the ePoS machine at your ration shop with a fingerprint or iris scan, or by face authentication with the Mera eKYC and Aadhaar FaceRD apps. Districts have warned that members without e-KYC can lose their share.
How do I download my ration card online?
From fcs.up.gov.in, from DigiLocker (issuer: Food and Civil Supplies Department, Uttar Pradesh; enter your ration card number) or from the Mera Ration 2.0 app (Aadhaar and OTP login). The e-ration card is valid wherever a ration card is accepted.
How do I apply for a new ration card in UP?
Fill the application with every family member's details and Aadhaar, attach your income certificate, address proof and photos, and submit it at a Jan Seva Kendra (CSC) or your tehsil or block supply office; where the online option is open, you can apply on fcs.up.gov.in. Keep the reference number to track it. The supply inspector verifies the application before the card is issued.
How do I add a newborn to my ration card?
Apply to add a member with the child's birth certificate and Aadhaar (Baal Aadhaar), through a Jan Seva Kendra, the supply office or fcs.up.gov.in. After the name is added, complete the child's e-KYC so the share is released.
How do I remove a member who has died?
Submit the member's death certificate to the supply office or through a Jan Seva Kendra. On a PHH card the grain falls by 5 kg for each member removed, and a change of family members can change the card's category.
Can I use my UP ration card in another state?
Yes. Under One Nation One Ration Card, live in all 36 states and union territories since June 2022, you can take your NFSA grain from any fair price shop in India with Aadhaar authentication on the ePoS machine. Your family can take the rest of the quota at home in UP.
Is my ration card number my UP Family ID?
Yes. For families with a ration card, the ration card number serves as the Family ID (Ek Parivar Ek Pahchan). Only families without a ration card need to register on familyid.up.gov.in for a 12-digit Family ID.