Ration distribution across Himachal Pradesh came to a standstill for three consecutive days after a technical failure in Aadhaar authentication servers disrupted the state's e-POS-based foodgrain delivery system. Beneficiaries were left waiting for hours at depots across the state only to return home empty-handed. The government has now activated QR code-based distribution on e-POS machines as an interim arrangement to ensure eligible households do not continue to go without their foodgrain supplies.
How the Aadhaar Server Failure Froze Ration Depots
A spokesperson for the Himachal Pradesh Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department confirmed that a technical disruption in Aadhaar authentication services has temporarily affected Aadhaar-linked ration distribution through e-POS machines. Under the existing mechanism, ration cards in the state are linked to Aadhaar numbers, and an OTP sent to the beneficiary's registered mobile number is required to complete the authentication process before foodgrains can be handed over. With the authentication server down, this verification step failed and the entire distribution process at depots statewide came to a halt. The department has raised the matter with the relevant authorities and is taking the necessary steps to restore Aadhaar authentication services at the earliest.
QR Code System Rolled Out as Interim Fix
To prevent any further disruption in foodgrain supply for eligible beneficiaries, the department has activated the QR code-based distribution facility that is already built into the e-POS machines. This serves as a temporary substitute for the Aadhaar-OTP verification step, allowing fair price shop owners to complete ration handovers without depending on the Aadhaar server being online. All eligible beneficiaries have been requested to visit their designated fair price shops and collect their allotted foodgrains as usual using this QR code method, until normal Aadhaar-linked services are fully restored.
Impact on 74.26 Lakh Residents Statewide
Himachal Pradesh has a network of 5,078 ration depots spread across the state. These depots supply subsidised foodgrains to 19.48 lakh ration cardholders. In total, around 74.26 lakh people in the state depend on these depots for their monthly ration supply. The three-day server outage disrupted supplies for all these beneficiaries, and the shift to QR code-based verification is expected to provide immediate relief while the underlying Aadhaar authentication infrastructure is brought back online.
