Ration Card Holders Celebrate as Fine Rice Will Be Sold at FP Shops

 Nizamabad: Ration cardholders are celebrating as the state government announces the supply of fine quality rice at fair price shops starting this April. The initiative was formally launched by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy in Huzurnagar on Sunday, with residents from both rural and urban areas eagerly anticipating access to the free rice.

The move comes amid concerns over widespread irregularities in the current rice distribution system. In Nizamabad district, there are 13.09 lakh food security cards, while Kamareddy district holds 8.77 lakh cards. Many households, especially those from poor and lower-income groups, have been reliant on the normal variety of rice distributed through FP shops. However, some families, hesitant to use the standard rice, have been selling it to fair price shop dealers or middlemen, fuelling a black market for the subsidised product.

To counter these issues, the state government has decided to supply a fine variety of rice to food security cardholders — a variety cultivated by local farmers in the last Vana Kalam (kharif) season. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Durga Prasad, a private employee, expressed his support for the new initiative. “We are buying fine variety rice for Rs 50 per kg in the open market. The normal rice is mostly used for tiffin preparations. The fine quality rice supply through FP shops is a great decision, and we will consume it from now onwards,” he said, adding that poor families will benefit financially from the move.

The civil supplies department is currently coordinating with approximately 1,448 FP shops across the district to ensure the smooth distribution of the fine quality rice and enhance the welfare of the state's most vulnerable citizens.