TG Govt to issue new white ration cards after Sankranti: Uttam

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Hyderabad: Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy announced that the State government is preparing to issue 10 lakh new white ration cards after...

Hyderabad: Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy announced that the State government is preparing to issue 10 lakh new white ration cards after the Sankranti festival. This move will benefit an estimated 31 lakh people.

Replying to a query during the Question Hour in the Telangana Legislative Council on Monday, the Minister explained that the state government will use data from the recently conducted caste census survey to finalise eligibility for the new ration cards. The initiative is projected to add a financial burden of Rs 956 crore annually to the state exchequer. He mentioned that over 18 lakh applications to add names to existing ration cards have been pending at MeeSeva centres for over a decade. The issuance of new cards aims to address this backlog while replacing old ration cards with smart cards to enhance efficiency.

Uttam Kumar Reddy highlighted that the new white ration card scheme was conceptualised under Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s leadership. A sub-committee, chaired by the Minister himself and including Damodar Raja Narasimha and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, held multiple meetings to finalise eligibility criteria. These recommendations, based on the Sachchidananda Saxena Committee guidelines, as well as input from MLAs, MLCs, and MPs, have been submitted to the state cabinet for approval.

In addition to new cards, the government is addressing gaps in fair-price shop operations. Measures are being taken to fill vacancies in these shops, and new outlets will be established in recently formed gram panchayats and tandas.