Unified Card for every citizen of Telangana to track welfare benefits

The Telangana government plans to introduce a Unified Card integrating welfare benefits and citizen data across departments. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy directed officials to develop an AI-based profiling system aimed at reducing duplication, improving welfare delivery, and streamlining beneficiary tracking

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy ordered officials to initiate measures for creating a multi-purpose Unified Card with details of all welfare benefits and other government touchpoints across departments embedded. The card would be designed in such a way that it carries details of every individual’s benefits drawn across schemes and government departments.

The Unified Card shall comprise the overall profile of the individuals with data points across welfare-centric departments, including Aarogyasri, Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF), Fees Reimbursement, Labour and Education. In addition to the beneficiary details, profiling of contract and outsourcing employees in the government should also be considered.

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He asked to explore, if needed, creating a State-level unique identity number on the lines of Aadhaar. The data from the Socio-Economic, Education, Employment, Political and Caste (SEEEPC) survey should also be merged with the Unified Card profile, he instructed officials.

The Chief Minister, along with IT Minister D Sridhar Babu, had held a meeting with senior officials on Wednesday. During the meeting, he laid out a detailed plan to implement the project to create a Unified Card that serves as a one-stop solution to track the welfare delivery profile of every individual.

He instructed to initiate a special drive to collect individual and family-oriented data of all citizens in the State. The data collection drive shall act as a precursor to the creation of the first-ever AI-based profiling system for dynamic tracking of 360-degree beneficiary data. The Chief Minister emphasised the need to make full use of artificial intelligence (AI) for eliminating duplication of benefits to individuals, to reduce bureaucratic delay in extending benefits, and to eliminate human interface.

Officials were asked to study best practices in handling the migration of citizens to the Middle East, from States like Kerala.