SRINAGAR, February 13, 2026 — Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA), Satish Sharma, officially informed the House today that the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Jammu and Kashmir remains strictly governed by the National Food Security Act (NFSA) of the Government of India and the Jammu & Kashmir Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) Control Order. Responding to a query from Legislator Payare Lal Sharma regarding document validity, the Minister clarified that ‘Chullah Parchis’—a traditional revenue document—does not constitute a valid legal basis for the issuance of ration cards under current NFSA provisions. He emphasized that the department utilizes a well-established, rigorous verification criteria to identify beneficiaries, and there is currently no active proposal to transition ‘Chulla Parchis’ holders into the ration card system based solely on that document.
The Minister further explained that while the PDS currently relies on the 2011 census data due to the lack of a more recent official count, the FCS&CA department is actively verifying households for inclusion under the specific criteria notified via S.O. 389 in November 2021. This process has already integrated several eligible beneficiaries, including those who are bona fide ‘Chullah Parchi’ holders but also meet the broader statutory requirements, into the PDS database. Addressing supplementary concerns, Minister Sharma assured the House that the issuance of fresh ration cards for newly identified families remains a priority; however, this expansion is contingent upon the Government of India communicating revised targets for the inclusion of new households.
