The Chief Minister's Office of Rajasthan announced on Wednesday, 22 July 2026 that the state's Food and Civil Supplies Department, under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, has enrolled over 1 crore 56,511 new beneficiaries under the food security net — a milestone attributed largely to the state's voluntary-surrender initiative, the 'Give Up Abhiyan'.

Context

Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sumit Godara shared the figures after meeting CM Bhajanlal Sharma, crediting the campaign with enabling the large-scale beneficiary addition. The minister stated that nearly 93 lakh financially capable individuals voluntarily surrendered their food security entitlements in favour of those in genuine need. Godara described the initiative as 'garibon ke liye vardan' (a boon for the poor).

The official post quoted the minister as saying that the 'Give Up Abhiyan', inspired by CM Sharma, 'has proved to be a boon for poor people.' The minister formally expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister for ensuring food security for more than 1 crore new needy persons through the campaign.

Policy Backdrop

The Give Up Abhiyan draws directly from the model of the national Give It Up campaign for LPG subsidies launched in 2015, which encouraged better-off households to voluntarily return their cooking-gas subsidy. Rajasthan, a western Indian state with a population exceeding 7 crore, distributes subsidised food grains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013, which mandates coverage of priority and Antyodaya households.

The state had been expanding NFSA coverage through Aadhaar-linked digitisation of ration cards over the preceding decade. The current drive under CM Sharma, who took office in December 2023, frames voluntary exits by eligible but non-needy households as a mechanism to correct inclusion errors and redirect entitlements to excluded poor families.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries are households that were previously excluded from the Public Distribution System (PDS) despite being in need. By securing slots freed up through voluntary surrenders, the Food and Civil Supplies Department claims it has extended subsidised grain access to over 1 crore 56,511 people without requiring additional central allocation.

The 93 lakh individuals who surrendered entitlements represent a significant pool of voluntary exits. For the state government, the campaign also carries a political and governance narrative — demonstrating both social solidarity and administrative transparency under the BJP-led Rajasthan government.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to whether the state conducts follow-up beneficiary audits to verify that newly enrolled households are receiving grain offtake consistently. Integration with central schemes such as PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and leakage-reduction data are likely to be raised in the Rajasthan state assembly. The Food and Civil Supplies Department may also face scrutiny over independent verification of the surrender and addition figures cited in the announcement.

The campaign's outcome, if sustained, could position Rajasthan as a model for other states seeking to improve PDS targeting through demand-side voluntary mechanisms rather than purely supply-side audits.