HYDERABAD: The Telangana HC, on Wednesday, directed the State to provide Rs1,500 financial assistance to all white ration card holders, even if they had or had not procured 12 kg of free rice in the previous three months.
The government had recently decided to cancel the payment of Rs 1,500 one-time financial assistance to those who did not draw the free 12 kg rice from ration shops in the last three months (January to March). On Wednesday, a bench of Justice MS Ramachandra Rao and Justice K Lakshman was hearing a PIL, filed by Srujana Amaganti, that questioned the cancellation of aid.
“This amount is a pittance to enable the lowest fabric of the society to get on with life during the lockdown period. Prior to taking such an action, the government should ponder on the plight of the poor. The rich will survive...but the poor, if deprived of such financial aid, will starve,” the bench observed.