HYDERABAD: BJP State president Bandi Sanjay Kumar wrote to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), complaining that the State government has cancelled 19 lakh ration cards since 2014 and that new enrolments were stopped from July 2021.
In his letter, he also claimed that seven lakh applications were pending approval even before the State government has stopped accepting fresh applications. Alleging that the State government has not taken into account the 17 parameters that could be invoked to cancel a ration card, he said that 19 lakh families were thrown out of the safety net which previously allowed food at subsidised prices under the public distribution system.
Noting that the actions of the State government were in violation of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India, he sought the Commission to order the State government to revoke the cancellation of those ration cards, to immediately lift the ban on new ration cards, to issue ration cards to those who have already applied, and to complete the process in a time-bound manner within two to three months.
‘19 lakh families thrown out of the safety net’
Bandi Sanjay said that 19 lakh families were thrown out of the safety net which provides food at subsidised prices under the public distribution system