Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy inspecting the ongoing works of Jan Pahad Lift Irrigation Scheme in Suryapet district on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: By Arrangement
Accusing the Bharat Rasthra Samithi (BRS) of spreading lies regarding ration cards, Civil Supplies and Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has claimed that the Opposition party had not even issued 40,000 new ration cards during its 10-year rule. He, however, announced that the Congress government would issue an additional 40 lakh ration cards from January 26.
Speaking at several events in Huzurnagar constituency on Sunday, Mr. Reddy said a total of 12,07,558 applications for ration cards were pending with the government at the Mee Seva centres, while 18,00,515 requests for adding new members to existing cards remained unaddressed during the previous BRS regime.
“Additionally, another 10 lakh applications have been received under the Praja Palana programme after the Congress came to power. The State government would consider the information or applications received under caste census, Praja Palana, Praja Vaani or the Mee-Seva centres for new ration cards. If any person is still left out, he or she can apply for a new ration card in the gram sabhas to be held from January 21 to 24,” he added.
Mr. Reddy also reiterated the Congress government’s promise to provide fine rice under the public distribution system (PDS). He confirmed that each person will receive 6 kg of high-quality rice free of cost, with the initiative set to launch after the completion of the process of ration cards. He said that the State government would be spending nearly ₹11,000 crore per year on giving fine rice free of cost to all eligible persons under the PDS after the new ration cards come into place.
Presently, Telangana has 89.96 lakh ration cards covering 281.7 lakh beneficiaries. Of these, 35.51 lakh cards were issued by the State government, while 54.45 lakh fall under the National Food Security Act. Rural families with annual income of up to ₹1.5 lakh and specific vulnerable groups can get Food Security Cards under schemes like Antyodaya and Annapurna. With Telangana’s population projected to reach 3.94 crore in 2024, approximately 73.63% of residents are covered under these schemes.
Additionally, Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy laid the foundation stones for several major infrastructure projects worth ₹73 crore. He also reviewed preparations for the ‘Urs celebrations’ at Jan Pahad Dargah, inspected the Jan Pahad Lift Irrigation Scheme, and assessed the progress of housing colony works.
Published – January 20, 2025 02:24 am IST
