Pilot project on Family Digital Cards launched by Telangana CM; One card for all welfare schemes

“There were separate cards for separate schemes in the past. Departments were working in silos as a result of which obtaining data of eligible beneficiaries has become difficult. The Government has therefore decided to integrate the data of all the families along with their health profile so that services can be provided to them in a holistic manner,” he said.

Pilot project in 119 constituencies

The Chief Minister was speaking after launching the pilot project of family digital identification cards in Hyderabad on Thursday (October 3, 2024). It will be taken up in two gram panchayats and two wards in the urban areas in all the 119 assembly constituencies in the State. The pilot would be scaled up after understanding the difficulties, rectifying lapses if any and taking feedback from the beneficiaries.

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy at the launch of pilot project on Family Digital Cards, in Hyderabad on Thursday (October 3, 2024).
| Photo Credit:
RAMAKRISHNA G

“This is a step towards one state – one card on the lines of one nation – one ration scheme,” he said. The Government had resolved to integrate the data of all the welfare departments so that family digital card could be utilised for public distribution system, fee reimbursement, rythu bima and other schemes. He lamented that some people were unable to distinguish between the ration card and family digital card going by the reports that appeared in a section of ‘pink media’.

Family ID card will have details of health profiles too

Steps would be initiated to computerise the details of all families so that they could be accessed at any point of time. “People possessing the digital card can access the benefits with one click,” he said adding the cards would also contain details of the health profiles of all the members listed in them.

The Government had already nominated 10 senior IAS officers as in-charges to the erstwhile 10 districts and an official of RDO rank would be appointed in each constituency to supervise the implementation of the new system.

He criticised the previous BRS Government for focussing on ‘looting the resources’ rather than working for the welfare of the people. He cited the examples of Secunderabad Cantonment decks for whose merger with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) had been cleared after the Congress Government took over the reins. “The BRS leaders lost not just power but discretion after the elections as unemployed youth taught them a fitting lesson. They are therefore indulging in mud-slinging on the Congress Government,” he said.

Rebutting the BRS’ charges on projects like Musi riverfront development, he said the BRS which amassed ₹1,500 crore through exploitation could part with ₹500 crore to help the families affected by the projects if they were really concerned. The Government was firm on providing alternatives to the affected families and was taking steps in that direction. “There is 1,000 acre land available in Jawaharnagar and 2BHK houses can be constructed there,” he said.