VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly Petitions Committee has recommended the issuance of NTR Vaidya Seva health cards independently, without linking it to white ration cards, to prevent large-scale smuggling of PDS rice.
This was revealed by K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju, Petitions Committee Chairman, and Deputy Assembly Speaker, during a press interaction on the Assembly premises on Tuesday.
Speaking alongside committee members Anakapalle MLA Konathala Ramakrishna and Visakhapatnam North MLA P Vishnu Kumar Raju, he said the committee plans to submit its recommendations to the State government soon. The House Committee believes that the delinking of issuance of NTR Vaidya Seva health cards from white ration cards could significantly reduce the misuse of PDS rice.
The State government provides health insurance cover of up to Rs 25 lakh per year to families having white ration cards. This has led to widespread interest among people in obtaining the health cards. The linking of white ration cards to government schemes has inadvertently facilitated the misuse and smuggling of ration rice. Senior officials of the departments concerned have also endorsed the delinking of health cards from ration cards, stating that it could yield better outcome.
Now, the State has approximately 1.7 crore families, and 1.48 crore of the total hold white ration cards. The government spends around Rs 5,100 crore per annum on ration rice distribution without the Central assistance. By addressing the misuse of ration rice, the House Committee has estimated the potential savings of up to Rs 2,000 crore per annum, which could be redirected towards education and healthcare initiatives. He also suggested the delinking of ration cards from other welfare schemes, such as NTR Bharosa pensions, to enhance transparency.
The Petitions Committee meets twice a month to address public and societal issues, including law and order concerns. It encourages citizens to submit petitions through local MLAs for resolution of their grievances, ensuring proactive measures to address community challenges.
The committee meeting, held earlier under the chairmanship of Raju, was attended by MLAs Ramakrishna, Vishnu Kumar, and Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy. Special Chief Secretary of Health, Medical and Family Welfare MT Krishna Babu, Commissioner of Civil Supplies Saurabh Gaur, Assembly Secretary General Prasanna Kumar Suryadevara, Deputy Secretary K Rajakumar, and Assistant Secretary R Srinivasa Rao were also present.