PDS short delivery — RTI to the Food Inspector and DGRO

Sunita lives in a town of about 60,000 people in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Her priority-household ration card lists four members, which means her family is entitled to 20 kg of foodgrains every month — free of cost under the National Food Security Act, 2013. For the last two months, the dealer at her Fair Price Shop (FPS) has handed over only 12 kg and 13 kg, each time murmuring “stock kam aaya” — less stock arrived. On distribution day the electronic Point of Sale machine was “not working,” so there was no digital record of what she actually received. The dealer also asked her to sign a blank slip “for the register” and refused to show the stock book.

Sunita is not alone. Across India, the Public Distribution System feeds about 81.35 crore people, and the single most common complaint is the same one she faces: short delivery. The dealer lifts the full quota from the godown, sells a part of it in the black market, and records less on the beneficiary's card. The beneficiary, often poor and unsure of her rights, signs whatever is put in front of her.

That paper trail is her right. Under Section 27 of the National Food Security Act, 2013, every PDS record “shall be placed in the public domain and kept open for inspection to the public.” The Right to Information Act, 2005 lets her demand those records in writing, with a 30-day statutory clock. This guide shows exactly how — using only verified facts about the law as it stands in 2026.

The Public Distribution System (PDS) is the country's largest food-security network. It is run jointly: the Central Government procures, stocks, and transports foodgrains through the Food Corporation of India, and the State Government distributes them through a network of Fair Price Shops to ration-card holders. The umbrella law is the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA), which covers about 81.35 crore beneficiaries and turned subsidised grain into a legal entitlement.

The Central ministry in charge is the Department of Food and Public Distribution, under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India. Its public grievance page lives at dfpd.gov.in/public-grievance/en, and the citizen-facing NFSA portal is nfsa.gov.in.

Entitlements under NFSA, unchanged as of 2026, are:

1. Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households — the poorest of the poor — get 35 kg of foodgrains per family per month.
2. Priority Households (PHH) get 5 kg of foodgrains per person per month.

The most important change in a decade happened on 1 January 2023: the Central Issue Price was reduced to zero. The old subsidised prices (Rs.3/kg rice, Rs.2/kg wheat, Rs.1/kg coarse grains) were abolished, and free foodgrains are now distributed under the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana framework subsumed into NFSA. The Cabinet has approved continuation of this free distribution for five years from 1 January 2024, covering about 81.35 crore beneficiaries, with a Union Budget 2026-27 allocation of Rs.2,27,429 crore.

Why this matters for your RTI: a beneficiary is now entitled to the full entitled quantity at zero price. Any short delivery, any cash charge, or any “stock did not come” excuse is a clear, provable violation — because the grain was lifted free of cost from the Central pool and must reach the card holder free of cost.

To ask a sharp question, you need to know who holds which record. The system has two parallel ladders — one under the RTI Act, one under the NFSA — and you can run both at the same time.

The NFSA grievance ladder:

1. Section 14 — Internal grievance redressal: Every State Government must run call centres, helplines, and nodal officers to receive PDS complaints.
2. Section 15 — District Grievance Redressal Officer (DGRO): Each State Government appoints a DGRO for every district to hear complaints of non-distribution of entitled foodgrains and take action within the prescribed time. An appeal against a DGRO order lies to the State Food Commission under Section 15(6).
3. Section 16 — State Food Commission: Constituted by each State Government; it monitors implementation, inquires into violations suo motu or on complaint, and hears appeals against DGRO orders under Section 16(6)(e).
4. Section 27 — Transparency of PDS records: All Targeted PDS records “shall be placed in the public domain and kept open for inspection to the public.” This is the strongest statutory lever for demanding the FPS allotment and sale register.
5. Section 29 — Vigilance Committees: Every State Government shall set up Vigilance Committees at the State, District, Block, and Fair Price Shop levels. Their functions include supervising implementation of all schemes and informing the DGRO in writing of any violation or misappropriation.

The operational rule — TPDS (Control) Order, 2015: Issued as G.S.R. 213(E) dated 20 March 2015 by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution under Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, it superseded the older PDS (Control) Order, 2001. Three clauses matter for your RTI:

1. Clause 10(5): A ration card holder can obtain extracts from the FPS records — stock register, sale register — on a written request plus the prescribed fee, within 14 days.
2. Clause 12: All TPDS records shall be placed in the public domain and kept open for public inspection (mirroring NFSA Section 27).
3. Clause 13: Contravention is punishable under Section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 — imprisonment up to 7 years and/or fine.
4. Clause 10(7): The designated authority may suspend or cancel the FPS licence for irregularities.

The RTI ladder: Your application goes to the PIO, Office of the Tehsil/Block Supply Officer (variously called the Tehsil Food Inspector, Supply Officer, or Taluk Supply Officer — the exact title differs by state). If the reply is denied or delayed, a First Appeal lies under Section 19(1) to the First Appellate Authority in the same department; a Second Appeal lies under Section 19(3) to the State Information Commission. Both ladders — NFSA and RTI — can run in parallel, and running them together is the single most effective thing you can do.

Two things have changed or been reaffirmed recently, and both strengthen your hand.

First, free foodgrains are now a five-year commitment, not a one-off pandemic measure. The Cabinet approved continuation of the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana framework — free NFSA grain — for five years from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2028, covering about 81.35 crore beneficiaries, with a Union Budget 2026-27 allocation of Rs.2,27,429 crore. This means the “zero price” rule is not going away, and a dealer who charges cash is breaking a standing, funded Central scheme.

Second, the NFSA grievance portal at nfsa.gov.in now offers structured complaint categories including “Fair Price Shop not opening”, “Not receiving quantity as per NFSA entitlement”, and “Poor quality of commodity”, each generating a tracked grievance number. The national toll-free PDS helpline 1967 is operational across all States and UTs. These give you a free, dated, trackable parallel complaint to run alongside your RTI — and the grievance number is powerful evidence to attach to your application.

There is also a draft NFSA (Amendment) Bill, 2026 under consultation, which proposes a per-capita entitlement for AAY households. It is a draft, not yet enacted, so do not rely on it in your RTI — cite the current entitlements (35 kg/family for AAY, 5 kg/person for PHH) as stated above.

Step 1 — Identify the public authorities.

1. Primary PIO: The Office of the Tehsil/Block Supply Officer (also called Tehsil Food Inspector, Supply Officer, or Taluk Supply Officer, depending on your state). This office holds the FPS allotment register, the delivery memos (Truck Chalan), and the acknowledged sale register.
2. Mark a copy to: The District Grievance Redressal Officer (DGRO) under NFSA Section 15 — often the District Supply Officer or a designated officer in the District Collector's office. The DGRO is the statutory authority who can order restoration of your entitlement and penalise the dealer.
3. Central layer (optional): If the issue is a systemic shortage (e.g., the state lifted less than its Central allocation), you can also file to the PIO, Department of Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, through the Central RTI portal rtionline.gov.in.

Step 2 — Prepare your questions. Ask for specific, dated records — not vague “details.” Six strong questions:

1. Allotment register: “Furnish the Fair Price Shop allotment register entries for FPS No. [number], located at [address], for the months of [month/year] and [month/year], showing the quantity of rice and wheat allotted to the shop.”
2. Delivery memo: “Furnish the delivery memo/Truck Chalan showing the quantity of foodgrains actually received at FPS No. [number] for those months, with date of receipt and vehicle number.”
3. Sale register: “Furnish the acknowledged sale register entries for ration card No. [number] (household of [name]) for those months, showing the quantity actually distributed to my household.”
4. Vigilance committee: “Furnish the constitution and meeting minutes of the Vigilance Committee constituted for FPS No. [number] under Section 29 of the National Food Security Act, 2013, for the last 12 months, along with any inspection report.”
5. Display board entries: “Furnish the entries mandated to be displayed on the FPS notice board under Clause 12 of the TPDS (Control) Order, 2015 and Section 27 of the NFSA, 2013, for FPS No. [number] as on [date].”
6. Action on prior complaints: “Furnish the action taken report on any complaint registered against FPS No. [number] in the last 12 months, including grievance number, date, and outcome.”

Step 3 — Use the right form and fee.

1. For a Central application to the Department of Food and Public Distribution, use the standard RTI format under Section 6 of the RTI Act, 2005. The fee is Rs.10, payable by Indian Postal Order, court-fee stamp, cash against receipt, or electronic means through rtionline.gov.in. See RTI for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know Before Filing Your for the step-by-step online process, or draft your application with the AI RTI drafting tool at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html.
2. For a State application, the fee and format follow your state's RTI Rules. Most states charge Rs.10; check your state rules at RTI Fees by State and Online Portal Directory (2026).
3. BPL exemption: Under Rule 5 of the RTI Rules, 2012 (Gazette G.S.R. 603(E), 31 July 2012), applicants holding a BPL certificate are exempt from both the application fee and the information-supply fees on submitting a copy of the BPL certificate. Most NFSA AAY and priority-household card holders qualify — so attach a copy of your ration card or BPL certificate and file free of cost. The statutory basis is the proviso to RTI Act Section 7(5).

Step 4 — Submit and keep proof. File by hand at the PIO's office and take a stamped receiving copy, or send by registered post and keep the acknowledgement, or file online and save the registration number. Proof of submission is your protection if the reply is delayed. In parallel, register a complaint on the toll-free number 1967 and on the nfsa.gov.in grievance portal, and note the grievance number on your RTI application.

Step 5 — Wait 30 days. The PIO must reply within 30 days of receiving your application. If the matter concerns life or liberty — and a family denied its foodgrain entitlement arguably does — the reply is due within 48 hours under the proviso to Section 7(1), though most PIOs treat PDS queries as ordinary 30-day cases. Quote the 30-day limit in your letter.

RTI is powerful because it has a built-in ladder. If the PIO ignores you or gives a vague reply, you do not stop there.

1. First appeal: If no reply comes within 30 days (or you are unhappy with the reply), file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) in the same department. Do this within 30 days of the deadline. The FAA must decide within 30 days, extendable to 45. Use the First Appeal tool at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/first-appeal-app.html to draft this.
2. Second appeal: If the FAA also fails you, file a Second Appeal under Section 19(3) with your State Information Commission. There is no fee for a second appeal to the Central Information Commission, and most state commissions charge none either.
3. Complaint under Section 18: If the PIO never replied at all or refused to accept your application, you can also file a direct complaint to the Information Commission.
4. Parallel NFSA route: If the DGRO does not act within the prescribed time, appeal to the State Food Commission under NFSA Sections 15(6) and 16(6)(e). This route can order restoration of your entitlement and penal action against the dealer — outcomes the RTI route alone cannot directly deliver.

Running both ladders together is what forces action. The RTI gets you the documents; the DGRO and State Food Commission get you the grain and the penalty.

1. Copy of your ration card (front page showing card number, members, and category — AAY/PHH).
2. Copy of BPL/AAY certificate, if applicable, to claim the RTI fee exemption under Rule 5.
3. FPS details: shop number, address, dealer's name (if known), and the distribution days.
4. Dates and quantities: the months of short delivery, the entitled quantity, and the quantity actually received (keep any slip or message the dealer gave you).
5. Grievance number from the 1967 helpline or nfsa.gov.in portal, if you registered one.
6. Identity proof (Aadhaar/Voter ID) — useful but not mandatory; the RTI Act does not require you to state why you want the information.

1. Filing only at the Fair Price Shop. The dealer is not a public authority under the RTI Act. File at the Tehsil/Block Supply Officer and the DGRO. The FPS records are held by, and accessible through, the supply department.
2. Citing the wrong NFSA section for vigilance committees. A common error (copied from many older guides) is to cite “Section 32” — that section actually deals with other welfare schemes. Vigilance committees are under Section 29 NFSA. Citing the wrong section gives the PIO an excuse to deny.
3. Not attaching the BPL certificate. If you are an AAY or priority card holder, you can file free — but only if you attach the proof. Forgetting this costs you Rs.10 and, more importantly, the information-supply fee for copies.
4. Asking vague questions. “Give me PDS details” gets you a brochure. Ask for named records with dates — the allotment register entry for FPS No. X for month Y, the sale register entry for card No. Z.
5. Skipping the vigilance committee request. The FPS-level Vigilance Committee under Section 29 is the local watchdog; its minutes and inspection reports often contain the very findings you need.
6. Forgetting the parallel NFSA complaint. RTI gets you documents, but restoration of grain and dealer penalties come through the DGRO and State Food Commission. File both.
7. Ignoring the 14-day clause. Under Clause 10(5) of the TPDS (Control) Order, 2015, you can also obtain FPS register extracts on a simple written request (with the prescribed fee) within 14 days — faster than the 30-day RTI clock. Try this first, then RTI if it is refused.

To: The Public Information Officer
    Office of the Tehsil Supply Officer / Food Inspector
    [Tehsil name], [District name], [State]

(Copy marked to: The District Grievance Redressal Officer,
 District [name], under Section 15, NFSA 2013)

Subject: Application under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005 —
         short delivery of NFSA foodgrains at FPS No. [number]

Sir/Madam,

I, [name], am a ration card holder (Card No. [number], category:
AAY/PHH, household of [number] members) under the National Food
Security Act, 2013. My entitlement is [35 kg per family / 5 kg per
person per month] of foodgrains, free of cost. For the month(s) of
[month/year], the Fair Price Shop at [address] distributed only
[quantity] kg against my entitlement of [quantity] kg.

Under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005, read with Section 27 and
Section 29 of the National Food Security Act, 2013, and Clauses
10(5) and 12 of the TPDS (Control) Order, 2015, please furnish the
following information:

1. The FPS allotment register entries for FPS No. [number] for
   [month/year], showing the quantity of rice and wheat allotted.
2. The delivery memo / Truck Chalan showing the quantity actually
   received at FPS No. [number] for [month/year], with date and
   vehicle number.
3. The acknowledged sale register entries for my ration card
   No. [number] for [month/year], showing the quantity distributed.
4. The constitution and meeting minutes of the Vigilance Committee
   for FPS No. [number] under Section 29 NFSA, for the last 12
   months, and any inspection report.
5. The entries displayed on the FPS notice board under Clause 12
   of the TPDS (Control) Order, 2015 and Section 27 NFSA, as on
   [date].
6. The action taken report on any complaint against FPS No. [number]
   in the last 12 months, with grievance number and outcome.

I state under Section 10 that I am the person seeking the
information. Being a BPL / priority-household card holder, I claim
the fee exemption under Rule 5 of the RTI Rules, 2012 (G.S.R.
603(E), 31 July 2012), and a copy of my ration card is enclosed.

As the matter concerns my family's foodgrain entitlement, I request
a reply within 30 days under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005.
If the information is denied, please communicate the reasons under
Section 7(8) within the same period.

Place: [city/village]                Signature:
Date: [date]                          Name: [name]
                                      Address: [address]
                                      Enclosures: Ration card copy

No. An individual FPS dealer is a licensee, not a government employee, and is not directly a “public authority” under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act. However, the records of the FPS — the allotment register, sale register, stock register — are held by the supply department and are mandatorily in the public domain under Section 27 NFSA and Clause 12 of the TPDS (Control) Order, 2015. So you file the RTI to the Tehsil/Block Supply Officer, who holds and can furnish those records.

Yes, if you hold a BPL certificate or an AAY/priority ration card. Under Rule 5 of the RTI Rules, 2012, BPL applicants are exempt from both the application fee and the information-supply fees on producing a copy of the BPL certificate. Since most NFSA beneficiaries are AAY or priority-household card holders, the exemption applies. Attach your ration card or BPL certificate. If you are a non-BPL applicant, the fee is Rs.10 for Central applications and the state-prescribed fee for state applications.

No. In Usha Devi vs Food and Supply, GNCTD (CIC/DS/A/2013/002484-SA, decided 26 September 2014), the Central Information Commission held that forcing ration card holders to sign “no-complaint” letters is anti-RTI and attracts penalty under Section 20 of the RTI Act. The CIC also directed that the daily sale and stock register of the ration shop be supplied free of cost within 15 days. Keep evidence of such demands (a witness, a photo, a note of date and time) and mention it in your RTI.

A non-functional Point of Sale machine is itself a grievance. Register it on 1967 and on the nfsa.gov.in portal, and ask in your RTI for the PoS uptime log and the manual distribution register that must be maintained when the machine is down. If Aadhaar-based authentication fails at the FPS, see aadhaar-authentication-failure-bank-ration-shop for the offline biometric exception and the complaint route; if the failure is because your Aadhaar is not seeded onto the ration card, see aadhaar-seeding-failed-lpg-ration-pension.

Often, yes. Clause 10(5) of the TPDS (Control) Order, 2015 allows a ration card holder to obtain extracts from the FPS stock and sale registers on a written request plus the prescribed fee, within 14 days. File this short request first; if it is refused or ignored, escalate to a full RTI under Section 6(1). The CIC in Usha Devi (2014) also directed free supply of the stock/sale register within 15 days.

Ask for the delivery memo / Truck Chalan and the FPS allotment register. The allotment register shows what the state allotted to your shop; the delivery memo shows what the shop physically received from the godown. If the allotment register shows the full quota but the dealer claims short supply, the gap is between the godown and the shop — a departmental problem, not your problem. Your entitlement is fixed by NFSA, and the state must make it good.

The usual route is DGRO first, then appeal to the State Food Commission under NFSA Sections 15(6) and 16(6)(e). However, the State Food Commission can also inquire suo motu into violations under Section 16(6)(b), so if there is a pattern of short delivery across many cards, a collective complaint to the Commission is effective. The Commission can order restoration of entitlements and recommend penal action against errant dealers and officials.

Under Clause 13 of the TPDS (Control) Order, 2015, contravention is punishable under Section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 — imprisonment up to 7 years and/or fine. Under Clause 10(7), the designated authority may suspend or cancel the FPS licence. Short delivery, black-marketing of PDS grain, and forcing beneficiaries to sign false slips are exactly the offences these provisions target.

No. The RTI Act is designed for citizens to use directly. The sample letter above, the AI drafting tool at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html, and the PIO reply checker at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/pio-reply-checker-app.html cover the whole process. A lawyer becomes useful only if you pursue criminal prosecution under the Essential Commodities Act, which is the state's job, not yours.

Short delivery and ration card problems often overlap — a card that is “blocked” or wrongly cancelled shows zero entitlement on the PoS, which looks like short delivery. If your card itself is the problem, see Ration Card Stuck or Cancelled? Force Issuance With RTI in 2026 to check its status and Ration Card Cancelled or Rejected? Use RTI to Restore It if it has been cancelled.

1. Ration Card Stuck or Cancelled? Force Issuance With RTI in 2026 — check your ration card status through RTI
2. Ration Card Cancelled or Rejected? Use RTI to Restore It — RTI when a ration card is wrongly cancelled
3. RTI for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know Before Filing Your — how to file an RTI, step by step
4. RTI Fees by State and Online Portal Directory (2026) — state-wise RTI fees and payment modes
5. No Water Supply or Contamination? RTI Playbook 2026 — RTI for short delivery of another essential service
6. Water quality bad? RTI to the Water Board for test reports — RTI for quality complaints (parallel to “poor quality grain”)
7. aadhaar-authentication-failure-bank-ration-shop — Aadhaar/PoS failure at the FPS
8. aadhaar-seeding-failed-lpg-ration-pension — Aadhaar seeding failure affecting ration

1. Department of Food and Public Distribution — public grievance page: [dfpd.gov.in](https://dfpd.gov.in/public-grievance/en)
2. National Food Security Act, 2013 (full text): [indiacode.nic.in](https://www.indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/10235?view_type=browse)
3. NFSA Section 15 (DGRO): [lawgist.in](https://lawgist.in/national-food-security-act/15)
4. NFSA Section 16 (State Food Commission): [lawgist.in](https://lawgist.in/national-food-security-act/16)
5. NFSA Section 29 (Vigilance Committees): [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/185711490/)
6. TPDS (Control) Order, 2015 (G.S.R. 213(E), 20 March 2015): [indiacode.nic.in](https://upload.indiacode.nic.in/showfile?actid=AC_MP_74_283_00003_00003_1547531752503&filename=target_pds_order_2015.pdf&type=order)
7. PM India — free foodgrains for 81.35 crore beneficiaries for five years: [pmindia.gov.in](https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/free-foodgrains-for-81-35-crore-beneficiaries-for-five-years-cabinet-decision/)
8. PRS Legislative Research — Demand for Grants 2026-27, Food and Public Distribution: [prsindia.org](https://prsindia.org/budgets/parliament/demand-for-grants-2026-27-analysis-food-and-public-distribution)
9. NFSA online grievance portal: [nfsa.gov.in](https://nfsa.gov.in/public/frmRegisterPublicGrievance.aspx)
10. PIB — toll-free PDS helpline 1967: [pib.gov.in](https://www.pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=192116)
11. CIC — Usha Devi vs Food and Supply, GNCTD (CIC/DS/A/2013/002484-SA, 26 September 2014): [lawweb.in](https://www.lawweb.in/2014/09/whether-food-supply-officer-can-force.html)
12. CIC — Bindeshwar Prasad vs O/o Assistant Commissioner, NW District (CIC/SG/C/2009/001500, 1 January 2010): [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1688620/)
13. PUCL v. Union of India, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 196 of 2001 (right to food case): [righttofoodcampaign.in](https://www.righttofoodcampaign.in/legal-action/the-right-to-food-case)
14. RTI Rules, 2012 (G.S.R. 603(E), 31 July 2012) — BPL fee exemption under Rule 5: [legalaffairs.gov.in](https://legalaffairs.gov.in/rti/fee-required-under-rti-act)
15. Central RTI online portal: [rtionline.gov.in](https://rtionline.gov.in)

1. Draft your RTI the easy way. Our AI drafting tool at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html builds a ready-to-file application from your details, and the timeline calculator at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/timeline-calculator-app.html tells you exactly when each 30-day clock expires.
2. Help us keep these guides free. Right to Information Wiki is run by volunteers who verify every fact before it is published. Every accurate, citizen-first guide like this one depends on that work.

Last reviewed: 4 July 2026.