# Punjab deletes nearly 2.9 lakh ration cards in 5 years 2026-08-13T07:59:33+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Punjab deleted 2,89,334 ration cards under the National Food Security Act between 2021 and 2025, the Union ministry of consumer affairs told Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The state has 1.52 crore beneficiaries and 40,93,003 cards. Deletions peaked at 1,52,497 in 2022 and fell sharply to 2,290 this year. Nationally, over 2.24 crore cards were deleted in the same period. The data comes amid concerns that biometric authentication and server failures are blocking genuine beneficiaries. The ministry said multiple authentication methods and offline point-of-sale devices are available. It added that no genuine beneficiary should be denied rations due to technical glitches, and a concurrent evaluation of the food security programme was underway. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com Tags: biometric authentication, Lok Sabha, National Food Security Act, Punjab, ration cards Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/punjab-deletes-nearly-2-9-lakh-ration-cards-in-5-years/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/punjab-deletes-nearly-2-9-lakh-ration-cards-in-5-years/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.