Telangana: Cabinet sub-committee proposes eligibility criteria for ration cards

Uttam says after the formation of Telangana, the number of ration cards had come down from 91,68,231 to 89,21,907 due to cancellations and migration to AP

Hyderabad: Cabinet sub-committee constituted for issue of new ration cards met on Saturday and examined various factors to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive approach in its task.

The eligibility criteria proposed by the panel for issue of new cards include an annual income limit of Rs 1.5 lakh, ownership of less than 3.5 acres of dry land or 7.5 acres of wetland in rural areas, and an annual income limit of Rs 2 lakh in urban areas. The focus in urban areas will be on annual income rather than land ownership.

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Minister for Civil Supplies N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who presided over the meeting, announced that letters would be sent to all Members of Parliament, the Legislative Assembly, and the Legislative Council seeking their inputs on the eligibility criteria. The Civil Supplies Department has been tasked with drafting and sending these letters immediately.

The sub-committee will consider the recommendations of the Saxena Committee, headed by Dr NC Saxena, which includes SC Special Commissioner Harsh Mander as a member.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that after the formation of Telangana State, the number of ration cards had come down from 91,68,231 to 89,21,907 due to cancellations and migration to Andhra Pradesh. As many as 6,47,479 new ration cards were issued and 5,98,000 were deleted from 2016 to 2023.

The state has 89.96 lakh ration cards and of this, 35.51 lakh were State-issued cards, while the remaining 54.45 lakh were National Food Security Act (NFSA) cards.

The State has received 11.33 lakh applications for adding new members to the existing cards, and 10 lakh applications for new ration cards. Ministers Damodar Rajanarasimha and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy were among those who attended.