All Deserving People will Get Ration Cards: Uttam

Hyderabad: Civil supplies minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday dismissed any concern over the issuing of ration cards and said all eligible persons would receive them.

The minister, in a statement following charges levelled by BRS leader T. Harish Rao that the government was looking to cut the number of ration cards, said the beneficiaries were being identified on the basis of the caste survey, socio economic survey and existing ration cards.

Issuing ration cards is a continuous process, Uttam Kumar Reddy said, adding “The process will not stop until cards are given to all those who have applied for them. Anyone who finds their names missing list can apply for one in their gram sabhas, to be held from January 21 to 24.”

He said the issue of ration cards was put on the back burner during the BRS regime, which had resulted in 12,07,558 applications applications pending with the Mee Seva. A total of 18,00,515 member additions were being examined based on the eligibility criteria. Another 10 lakh applications were received during the Praja Palana programme, he said.

The government said one of the aims of the new exercise was to arrest the abuse of ration cards and prevent diversion of rice supplied through the public distribution system. The government hopes to weed out those who managed to get the ration cards to avail fee reimbursement for their wards, and free medical services through the Aarogyasri scheme in private hospitals.

The government, in line with its promise to distribute fine rice, is expected to launch this initiative from this March. Increased cultivation of fine rice in the state is expected to come in handy to the government in fulfilling this endeavour.

There are 89.96 lakh ration cards in the state covering 281.7 lakh units. Of these, 35.51 lakh are state-issued cards, while the remaining 54.45 lakh are National Food Security Act (NFSA) cards. Eligibility for Food Security Cards (FSC) is based on income, land ownership, and specific vulnerabilities.

Rural families with an income of up to Rs.1.5 lakh are eligible, and there are special provisions for vulnerable groups under schemes like Antyodaya and Annapurna FSCs. Of the state's population, projected to be 3.94 crore in 2024, about 73.63 per cent is covered under the ration card schemes.

A cabinet sub-committee was formed to study the issue and it had sought opinions from the ruling and opposition party representatives in formulating the norms for issuing new ration cards.

Elsewhere, Chief Secretary A.Santhi Kumari directed district collectors to make arrangements for the gram sabhas. She asked the officials to hold the sabha in only one gram panchayat and ensure basic facilities are provided to the people attending them.

Santhi Kumari directed the officials to ensure the success of the programme. The orders were given when she participated in a video conference with district collectors along with ministers Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Uttam Kumar Reddy.

The officials were asked to display the names of those who have housing site along with those who don't have them in the gram sabha. The final list of beneficiaries ministers informed will be finalized only after receiving requisitions from the gram sabhas while examining applications which are there in the MDO offices.