The decision to extend the date has been taken in order to facilitate the consumers who have not yet registered or updated their information, the department of food, civil supplies and consumer affairs said in a statement issued in Shimla. 

The department was linking the Aadhaar number with the ration card of the consumers in order to bring transparency in the public distribution system, the statement said. 

It added that if a consumer fails to link their Aadhaar number with ration cards by February 29, their ration cards would be temporary blocked. 

The card will be unblocked only after completion of the formalities. 

The e-KYC ensures that the name, date of birth and gender entered in the ration card are the same as the data entered in the Aadhaar card of a person. 

The e-KYC could be done by a consumer by visiting a nearby Fair Price Shop, the statement said. Consumers can also update their mobile numbers by clicking on 'Update Mobile Number' on https://epds.hp.gov.in/, it added. -- PTI