Warangal:Questions are being raised over alleged neglect of urban residents in the implementation of government welfare schemes. The trend became visible in distribution of new ration cards. Their handing over in rural areas started a month ago. But not a single new ration card has so far been distributed in urban areas.

This has revived the debate over whether the government will repeat its approach to the distribution of Indiramma sarees this year.

When questioned, Kazipet tahsildar Raju said the process of distributing new ration cards has not yet begun in urban areas. He said the delay is due to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

The erstwhile Warangal district has a total of 12,16,363 white ration cards. With more than one lakh additional cards being issued, the number of beneficiaries has increased considerably. While distribution is underway in rural areas, eligible people in urban areas are still waiting for their new ration cards.

During last year’s Dasara, the government distributed Indiramma sarees to women holding ration cards. However, the distribution had largely been confined to rural areas. At the time, critics alleged that the scheme had been restricted to rural areas because local body elections had been scheduled there.

The situation has now changed. Elections to municipal corporations and urban local bodies are likely to be held soon. Against this backdrop, if the government distributes Indiramma sarees during this year’s Dasara, the key question is whether the scheme will again be confined to rural women or extended equally to women in urban areas. Given the high stakes, it may be difficult to ignore urban women this time.

Residents maintain that it is the government’s responsibility to treat rural and urban areas equally when it comes to welfare schemes, irrespective of electoral calculations.

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