Wait for PDS fine rice, new ration cards to get longer as Telangana Congress government fails to fulfil promise again
Indications are that new ration cards to be issued to Below Poverty Line families would sport Tricolour with Congress stamp; Above Poverty Line family cards likely to be green coloured
Hyderabad: The Congress government’s promise to supply fine rice and issue new ration cards from Ugadi is likely to get delayed further. The government had earlier announced that fine rice would be supplied through fair price shops from January 1. This was then postponed to Sankranti. It was later announced that the issue of new ration cards and supply of fine rice would commence from Ugadi. However, indications are now that this deadline, too, could get extended due to the designing and printing of the ration cards.
New ration cards to sport Congress colours
Indications are that the new ration cards to be issued to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in the State would sport the Tricolour, reflecting a Congress stamp. The Above Poverty Line (APL) family cards are likely to be in green.
In December last year, Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy had announced that the State government would issue 10 lakh new white ration cards. The new ration cards would be like smart cards and the State exchequer would have to bear an additional Rs 956 crore. Around 18 lakh new ration card applications were pending in the State, he had said in the Legislative Council. The Congress government had also constituted a Cabinet Sub-Committee to approve the new ration cards. Currently, there are nearly 89.90 lakh ration cards.
Fresh applications were invited from people through Praja Palana, Prajavani, Gram Sabhas and later Mee Seva centres as well. The scrutiny of applications was completed with the eligibility criteria for issue of cards being finalised now. This time, the government will offer ration cards for BPL and APL families. BPL families will be given a card of one colour, while APL families will get cards in another colour, Uttam Kumar Reddy said during an information chat with media persons on Thursday.
For APL families, it would be mostly for identification purpose and a decision had to be taken over the supply of commodities to such card holders, he said, adding that the designs were already finalised and that the new ration cards would have to be manufactured soon. Tenders were floated to this effect to identify an agency for executing the works. The entire process would be completed by April, the Minister said.
Not in race to become Chief Minister: Uttam
Dismissing speculations, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Thursday said he was not in the race to become the next Chief Minister. “I have already won seven times from the same constituency. After BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao, I am the senior member in the House. I have no aspirations to become the next Chief Minister,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said, adding that he would take a call on contesting the next election only based on the people’s directions. Interestingly, BJP MLA from Mudhole Rama Rao Patel, who visited the Irrigation Minister’s chambers in the Assembly, expressed his desire to the Minister that he should become Chief Minister.
