Ration Card Category Explainer
Compare AAY, Priority Household and non-NFSA ration cards — monthly grain entitlement, issue prices and what the ration is worth.
About this tool
Ration Card Category Explainer
Compare AAY, Priority Household and non-NFSA ration cards — monthly grain entitlement, issue prices and what the ration is worth.
The Ration Card Category Explainer sets out what each ration card category is worth under the National Food Security Act, 2013: an Antyodaya Anna Yojana card carries a flat 35 kg of foodgrain per household per month, a Priority Household card carries 5 kg per person per month, and a non-NFSA state card carries whatever the state decides. It converts your household size into the monthly and yearly quantity, prices it at the Schedule I rates of ₹3 a kg for rice and ₹2 for wheat, and shows what the same grain would cost in the open market.
How to use Ration Card Category Explainer
- 1
Open Ration Card Category Explainer on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
- 2
Choose AAY, Priority Household or a non-NFSA state card in the 'Card category' dropdown, then enter 'Members listed on the card' (1 to 30).
- 3
Set 'Share drawn as rice (%)' — the remainder is counted as wheat — plus 'Market rice price (INR per kg)' and 'Market wheat price (INR per kg)'; every figure recalculates as you type, with no calculate button.
- 4
Read 'Monthly foodgrain entitlement' at the top, then the rows for 'Cost at NFSA issue prices', 'Cost under PMGKAY' and 'Same grain at market prices', and the table 'The same household under each category'. 'Copy result' copies the breakdown; Reset restores the defaults.
Why use Ration Card Category Explainer
Category rules side by side
AAY, Priority Household and non-NFSA compared for the same family in one table.
Statutory quantities
Uses the 35 kg per household and 5 kg per person figures written into section 3(2) of the Act.
Value in rupees
Prices the entitlement at both the Schedule I issue rates and the market rate you enter.
Common use cases
- A family of five checking that their fair price shop is issuing the full 25 kg a Priority Household card entitles them to.
- An eight-member household seeing why an AAY card still gives 35 kg while a PHH card would give 40 kg.
- Someone putting a rupee value on the ration when weighing up a job in another city.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an AAY and a PHH ration card?
An AAY card gives 35 kg of foodgrain per household per month regardless of how many people are on it, while a Priority Household card gives 5 kg per person per month. So a three-member AAY household gets more grain than a three-member PHH household, but an eight-member PHH household gets more than an eight-member AAY one.
How much does ration cost under NFSA?
Schedule I of the Act sets issue prices of ₹3 per kg for rice, ₹2 per kg for wheat and ₹1 per kg for coarse grains. Since 1 January 2023, however, the NFSA quota has been supplied free of cost under PMGKAY, extended for five years from 1 January 2024, so eligible cardholders pay nothing for the central entitlement.
Who decides whether my family gets an AAY or a Priority Household card?
State governments identify households within the coverage set by the Act — up to 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population — using guidelines they frame themselves. AAY is meant for the poorest of the poor, such as landless labourers, marginal farmers and households headed by a widow, a disabled person or someone above 60 with no assured subsistence. Apply through your state food and civil supplies department.
Can I collect my ration in another state?
Yes. Under One Nation One Ration Card, a cardholder can draw the entitlement from any fair price shop in the country using biometric authentication on the ePoS device. The quantity stays the same as on your home card, and family members can split the quota across locations.