Under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), the government has made electronic Know Your Customer (e-KYC) verification mandatory for all eligible ration card holders and their family members to continue receiving subsidised food grains. To address difficulties faced by elderly and vulnerable beneficiaries, a home-based face recognition e-KYC facility has now been introduced.
Officials from the Food Department stated that many ration card holders above 70 years of age were facing repeated authentication failures because their fingerprints were not being accurately captured by biometric machines. This was causing delays and inconvenience in accessing ration benefits. Taking serious note of the problem, the government has now implemented face-based identity verification as an alternative.
With the new system in place, ration card beneficiaries can complete e-KYC from home using the “Mera e-KYC” mobile application by scanning their face. The facility is especially useful for senior citizens, disabled persons, and seriously ill beneficiaries who are unable to visit fair price shops or whose fingerprint-based verification frequently fails.
Process to complete e-KYC from home:
Download Mera e-KYC and Aadhaar Face RD applications from the Google Play Store
Open the app and enter the required details linked to the ration card
Verify identity using the OTP sent to the registered mobile number
Select the Face e-KYC option and follow on-screen instructions
Scan your face using the mobile camera to complete verification
Beneficiaries can also check whether their ration card e-KYC has already been completed by entering the required details in the app. If completed, the status will appear as “Y”.
Offline option remains available
Authorities clarified that offline e-KYC facilities will continue. If beneficiaries are unable to complete the process digitally, they may visit their nearest government fair price shop to complete biometric verification using fingerprint or thumb impression.
According to Bhupendra Mishra, Controller, Food and Civil Supplies Department, Raipur, the initiative aims to ensure that no eligible ration card holder is deprived of food benefits due to technical issues.
