New ration cards to be issued after Sankranti festival, says Uttam

Uttam Kumar Reddy said currently about 31 lakh people have to be included in the food security scheme.

Hyderabad: Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday announced that new white ration cards would be issued after the Sankranti festival.

Replying to a question raised by MLC M Kodanda Ram Reddy during the Question Hour, Uttam Kumar Reddy said efforts were being made to issue white ration cards from January. The State government would provide white ration card to every Below Poverty Line(BPL) family in the State, he clarified.

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The Minister said the government had received 18 lakh new applications for white ration cards in the last one year and of them 10 lakh applicants would be issued ration cards after Sankranti. Giving information about the ration cards, he said in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh 91.68 lakh cards were issued in Telangana region and about 3.38 crore people used to get benefits of it. Between 2016-2023, about 647479 new ration cards were issued, benefiting 19 lakh families, he said.

He said currently about 31 lakh people have to be included in the food security scheme.

Congress member T Jeevan Reddy and BRS member Satyavathi Rathod urged the government to set up ration shops in newly formed Gram Panchayats in the State. They said the tribals were forced to travel long distances to get ration as they do not have ration dealers nearby. Kodandaram urged the government to immediately issue new ration cards so that the beneficiaries could get their share of ration.