UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — One Nation, One Ration Card

Q1. With reference to the One Nation, One Ration Card (ONORC) arrangement, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. When a household starts drawing its grain in another State under ONORC, it is removed from its home State's NFSA coverage count and added to the host State's count.
  2. A migrant drawing grain in another State under ONORC gets the entitlement fixed under the National Food Security Act, not a fresh entitlement under the host State's rules.
  3. ONORC could be put in place without amending the NFSA's provisions on who is entitled to subsidised foodgrains.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q2. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. The One Nation, One Ration Card reform did not change the monthly quantity of foodgrains to which an NFSA beneficiary is entitled.
  2. NFSA coverage is calculated by applying fixed percentages to Census 2011 population figures, which caps the total number of beneficiaries.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q3. NFSA coverage is fixed by applying statutory percentages to Census 2011 population figures, and this base has not been revised. In this context, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. In a State whose population has grown faster than the national average since 2011, the share of its current population covered under NFSA is likely to be lower than the statutory percentage.
  2. Since ONORC now operates in all States/UTs, a person who meets a State's NFSA criteria but has not been included in its list can draw subsidised grain at any Fair Price Shop.
  3. Once a State's ceiling is nearly filled, adding a newly eligible household depends largely on slots being freed, for instance by deleting duplicate or ineligible entries.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 only

Q4. Consider the following facts: (i) NFSA/PMGKAY coverage is 67% of the population as per Census 2011, a maximum of about 81.35 crore persons; (ii) this coverage was fixed in 2013 and has not been changed since; (iii) by August 2025, States had identified 80.6 crore beneficiaries; (iv) India's population has grown since 2011. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above facts?

  1. Nearly all persons who meet NFSA eligibility criteria today are receiving subsidised foodgrains.
  2. The room for adding new NFSA beneficiaries across the country was less than one crore persons as of August 2025.
  3. Leakage of foodgrains from the Public Distribution System has been almost eliminated.
  4. NFSA beneficiaries now make up less than 67% of India's current population.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 2 and 4 only

Q5. With reference to the division of responsibilities between the Centre and the States in the Public Distribution System under the National Food Security Act, 2013, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Eligible households are identified by the State/UT Governments, each of which frames its own criteria for identification.
  2. Central assistance to States covers costs such as intra-State movement and handling of foodgrains and margins paid to Fair Price Shop dealers.
  3. Under inter-State portability, a migrant must first be re-identified by the host State under that State's own criteria before receiving grain.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q6. In the context of targeting in the Public Distribution System, consider the following statements about inclusion and exclusion errors: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Deleting duplicate ration cards identified through Aadhaar seeding reduces inclusion errors.
  2. Grain drawn against a ghost or fictitious ration card is an example of an inclusion error.
  3. Making biometric checks at Fair Price Shops stricter tends to reduce inclusion errors while raising the risk of exclusion errors.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 only

Q7. With reference to ration card portability under ONORC, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Intra-State portability lets a cardholder draw entitled grain at any Fair Price Shop in their own State, not just the shop to which their card is attached.
  2. The cumulative count of portability transactions reported since 2019 measures how many distinct beneficiaries have used portability.
  3. Portability transactions cover only movements across State borders, since drawing grain at a different shop within the same State is not counted as portability.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q8. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Installing ePoS devices at nearly every Fair Price Shop was a precondition for making ration card portability work nationwide.
  2. ONORC introduced a single national ration card that replaced the ration cards issued by State Governments.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct