Punjab Desk
16 March
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
Journalist And Research Analysist
The Punjab government has relaxed several rules for issuing new ration cards, commonly known as blue cards. With the new changes, more people will now be able to receive government food support. The decision has been taken ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections and is expected to benefit a large number of families across the state.
According to the new notification issued by the Food and Civil Supplies Department on March 11, 2026, the eligibility criteria for ration cards have been significantly expanded. Earlier, families with an annual income above ₹1.80 lakh were not eligible for a ration card. Now, the income limit has been increased to ₹8 lakh per year. This means many middle-income families can also apply for the scheme.
The government has also removed several earlier restrictions. Previously, people owning four-wheel vehicles, air-conditioned houses, or certain amounts of agricultural land were not allowed to apply for blue ration cards. Under the new rules, these restrictions have been removed. Even people who own vehicles or land can now receive government food grains if their annual income is below ₹8 lakh.
In urban areas, the earlier condition that limited eligibility to houses smaller than 100 square yards has also been withdrawn. In addition, company directors and income tax payers, who were previously considered ineligible, can now apply for ration cards.
However, government employees will still remain outside the eligibility criteria. Officials said the state government has adopted a formula similar to the one used for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category.
Under the government’s “Meri Rasoi” scheme, new ration card holders will also receive free food items such as sugar, pulses, mustard oil, and turmeric every three months. Currently, Punjab has about 41.47 lakh ration card holders and nearly 1.54 crore beneficiaries receiving wheat under the National Food Security Act.
