The public distribution system (PDS) serves as a lifeline for approximately 80 crore Indians receiving subsidised food grain at ration shops, including 3.26 crore from Odisha as per the National Food Security Act 2013 (NFSA). Having a ration card is a precondition to get PDS rations. Here, I highlight a major concern regarding pending applications for new ration cards in Odisha along with potential solutions to mitigate this crisis.In a recent response to a question in the Odisha Assembly, the state minister of food supplies and consumer welfare department, Krushna Chandra Patra, revealed that around 13.86 lakh applications are pending in the state.Never-ending eKYC: Delays in ration card issuanceAn order from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution on June 25, 2024, directed all the states to ensure 100% eKYC compliance, failing which a ration card holder might stop getting their monthly rations. The eKYC process implies that all active members of a ration card whose names must link their ration cards with their Aadhaar card and match the details in the two cards using biometric fingerprint authentication or IRIS at the electronic point of sale machine at ration shops. The eKYC drive was launched in August 2024 in Odisha with a claim to remove more than 50 lakh ghost ration card holders and streamline the system. The eKYC deadline has been extended multiple times by the Odisha government with the latest date set for March 31, 2025. Patra recently informed the state assembly that 29.16 lakh ration card holders are yet to complete their eKYC in the state. Meanwhile, he has stated multiple times that new ration cards will be issued only after the eKYC drive is completed in the state. This means that the fate of 13.86 lakh new ration card applicants is unreasonably dependent on externalities like completion of eKYC formalities of lakhs of others. A shrinking safety netIn 2018, Odisha launched the state food security scheme (SFSS) to cover 25 lakh individuals who are eligible but could not be covered under NFSA due to a limited quota. However, the scheme’s coverage has since dwindled to around 4.2 lakh rights-holders. Despite pushing the rights-holders from SFSS to NFSA list whenever vacancy arose, they have not inducted the lakhs of pending applications into SFSS. As per the NFSA, 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population are to be covered under PDS based on the 2011 population census. Since no census has been conducted since 2011, an estimated 13 crore people are denied ration.Need of the hourThe Odisha government has the opportunity and resources to ensure that no eligible households are excluded from the PDS. 5.22 lakh persons (deceased and ineligible) have already been deleted from the ration card system following failed eKYC. First, the government must immediately start issuing ration cards to pending applicants without waiting for the eKYC process to finish. Second, the Union government’s decision to provide food grains free of cost from January 2024 has resulted in annual savings of approximately Rs 600 crore for Odisha. This surplus presents a unique opportunity to expand SFSS coverage and include all eligible families rather than keeping 13.86 lakh applicants waiting. Third, there is an ongoing suo motu writ petition in the Supreme Court of India concerning migrant workers where the court directed the Union government to issue ration cards irrespective of the quota set under NFSA. Several states have already approached the Union government for additional allocations, recognising the urgent need to address food insecurity. Odisha must follow suit. Finally, the state government must push for the timely conduct of the national population census. Updated census data will ensure that PDS coverage reflects the actual population, preventing the exclusion of eligible families.Sameet Panda is associated with Odisha Khadya Adhikar Abhijan and LibTech India. The Opinions expressed by the authors are of his own.