HYDERABAD: The state government will begin distributing 1.05 crore newly sanctioned and laminated ration cards across Telangana on Independence Day, with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy launching the programme in Sangareddy.
According to an office memorandum issued by Food and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, ration card distribution programmes will be held simultaneously in all 119 constituencies, with the Revenue Divisional Officer coordinating the exercise in each segment with support from the district administration and the Civil Supplies department.
The programme is scheduled between 2 pm and 4 pm on August 15, keeping in view the Independence Day flag-hoisting celebrations in the morning and the chief minister’s participation in the At Home function at Raj Bhavan in the evening.
The memorandum directed officials to finalise and verify constituency-wise beneficiary lists, coordinate with the local MLA or public representative, the district collector and other officials, and make necessary arrangements for registration, verification and the orderly distribution of ration cards.
Calling it one of the state’s biggest welfare initiatives, the memorandum said the programme aims to strengthen food security and extend Public Distribution System benefits to all newly eligible families.
It directed officials to ensure its smooth and efficient rollout across the state.
The rollout comes at a time when Telangana has the highest per capita income in the country, highlighting the contrast between its economic indicators and the scale of families covered under the Public Distribution System.
According to the Socio-Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste Survey conducted by the state government, Telangana has 1.17 crore families. Of these, 1.05 crore families have ration cards, most of them white ration cards that are generally meant for Below Poverty Line (BPL) households.
