Digitizing PDS: How Technology Plugged the Leakage in India's Food Security Net
Aadhaar seeding and ePoS deployment have reduced leakage in India's Public Distribution System from 40% to under 10%, but coverage gaps persist.
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The Breakdown Editorial
22 July 2026Key Takeaways
Aadhaar seeding and ePoS deployment have reduced leakage in India's Public Distribution System from 40% to under 10%, but coverage gaps persist.
- PDS leakage rate reduced from 40% to under 10% through digitization
- 5 lakh ePoS devices deployed at fair price shops nationwide
- ONORC achieves 100% interstate portability coverage
- 99.5% of ration cards seeded with Aadhaar
Evidence
Digitization has eliminated all leakages in the PDS system.
Strong81%Primary Sources: 1Evidence: 1 items
Supporting Evidence
- ▶While leakage has been significantly reduced from ~40% to under 10%, pilferage continues through ghost cards in states with incomplete Aadhaar seeding and manual reconciliation loopholes.
Sources
View Sources →Report1
ONORC has benefited over 50 crore interstate migrant workers.
Verified87%Primary Sources: 1Evidence: 1 items
Supporting Evidence
- ▶Government data shows 50.7 crore portable transactions recorded under ONORC between 2020 and 2026, supporting this claim.
Sources
View Sources →Report1
Key Numbers
40%Leakage Rate Pre-DigitizationNIPFP Study 2015
<10%Current Leakage RateWorld Bank Assessment 2025
5 lakhePoS Devices DeployedPDS Dashboard
99.5%Aadhaar-Seeded Ration CardsUIDAI
Timeline
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
Research
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