How many people actually fall under India's public distribution system?

The issue assumes importance after the starvation death of a girl in UP and information given to Parliamentary standing committee on labour that migrant workers without ration cards didn't get food

How many people are actually covered under the ration scheme at present and how many ought to be covered? The public distribution scheme is something that makes them eligible to get extra free grains that are vital during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The Central government says that the National Food Security Act (NFSA), together with state schemes in which it also contributes in some manner, ensures cheap ration to over 1 billion people... 1.01 billion to be more precise, but activists say the number is lower. 

The issue assumes importance after the reported starvation death of a girl child in an Uttar Pradesh  village and information given to the Parliamentary standing committee on labour that every migrant worker not having a ration card did not get food. 

The following table tries to throw some clarity on the same.

ALL INDIA ACCESS TO PDS: A SNAPSHOT

Serial No	indicator	People in million	Share of population	Details
A	Total Projected Population-2020

1370 100% Based on 2011 Census and mid decade birth and death rates B Projected Population ought to be covered by PDS mandated by NFSA 922 67% The weighted average of mandated NFSA coverage as per census 2011 C People Covered by NFSA ration cards now 809 59% Priority cards (5 kgs/person/month) and Antyodaya (35 kgs per card), at Rs. 2 & 3 per kg for wheat and rice. D People covered by ‘NFSA Equivalent Entitlements or More’ (NEEM) ration cards 90 7% Same (or more) entitlements as NFSA ration cards at same (or lower) prices E People covered by ‘Lesser Entitlements as against NFSA’ (LEAN) ration cards 51 4% Lower entitlements and higher prices than NFSA ration cards F Total people covered by NFSA or NEEM ration cards 899 66% C+D G Total people with access to food through PDS 950 69% C+D+E
NOTE: LEAN  and NEEM are those entitlements which are subsidised by the state governments in varying proportions. Rows A and B are unpublished estimates by Jean Drèze, Reetika Khera, and Meghana Mungikar based on projection from 2011 Census data, using mid-decade state-wise birth and death rates to infer population growth. Rows C-E are compiled from PDS portals of individual states.

Source: A review of the coverage of the PDS by Reetika Khera of IIT-Delhi and Anmol Somanchi, Independent Researcher