Telangana govt to invite fresh applications for new ration cards, Aarogyasri cards

Answering a question in the Council, Uttam Kumar Reddy clarified that the new ration cards would be exclusively issued to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.

Hyderabad: In a new twist, the State government is planning to invite fresh applications for new ration cards, overlooking the ‘Praja Palana‘ applications submitted earlier. Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy announced in the Legislative Council on Wednesday that separate applications would be sought for both new ration cards and new Aarogyasri cards, which would henceforth be issued separately.

Answering a question in the Council, Uttam Kumar Reddy clarified that the new ration cards would be exclusively issued to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. The eligibility criteria for issuing Aarogyasri cards were still under examination by a Cabinet sub-committee and were aimed to cover other sections as well.

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“We will finalise guidelines for fresh ration cards in a couple of weeks. Besides rice, the government is considering the supply of other essential goods to ration card holders. The eligibility criteria for new ration cards will be based on the Cabinet sub-committee’s recommendations,” he stated.

Responding to suggestions from Congress MLCs, the Minister said the State government would review income, landholding, and other aspects of applicants before issuing new ration cards. He assured that old ration cards would remain valid until the new ones are issued. The application format for the new ration card was being finalised, temporarily halting the online application process.

BRS MLC Surabhi Vani Devi highlighted that the State government received fresh applications through Praja Darbar and Praja Palana programmes but was yet to determine the exact number of pending applications and the timeline for issuing new ration cards. She urged the government to expedite the process to ensure people were not deprived of their basic needs.

In response, Uttam Kumar Reddy asserted that no one was facing difficulties due to the delay in issuing ration cards and that any issues would be addressed appropriately. He noted that no new ration cards were issued during the BRS regime, which drew objections from MLC and former Minister Satyavathi Rathod, who pointed out that the previous BRS government had issued over six lakh new ration cards.