Telangana Government to Launch 3 Major Welfare Schemes from Monday

 Hyderabad: The state government is set to launch three major welfare schemes aimed at supporting poor families, women and unemployed youth. Of these, the distribution of new ration cards for BPL families and interest-free loans to women will be launched statewide on Monday. The third scheme, Rajiv Yuva Vikasam, for unemployed youth, will see disbursement of funds in August.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will launch the distribution of five lakh ration cards at a public meeting in Tirumalagiri, Tungaturthi constituency, in Nalgonda district on July 14. Simultaneously, district in-charge ministers and local MLAs will begin distributing the new cards in their respective districts and Assembly constituencies.

Civil supplies minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy described the distribution as a landmark step towards fulfilling the Congress government’s commitment to food security. Each ration card holder will receive six kilograms of fine rice per person every month, entirely free of cost.

He criticised the previous BRS regime for not issuing ration cards or updating existing ones for over a decade. In contrast, the Congress government had institutionalised ration card distribution as a continuous process. With the addition of new cards and updated family data, the number of beneficiaries would stand at 3.1 crore individuals across 94.72 lakh families, he said.

In a parallel welfare initiative, the government on Saturday released Rs 344 crore to distribute interest-free loans to women self-help froups (SHGs). Of this, ₹300 crore will go to rural SHGs and Rs 44 crore to urban SHGs. The funds were released to the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), with cheque distribution scheduled from July 14 to 18. Ministers and MLAs will oversee the distribution locally.

Minister Danasari Anasuya Seethakka noted that the previous BRS government stalled SHG loan disbursements and left over Rs 3,000 crore in dues. The Congress government resumed payments upon taking office, boosting women’s financial empowerment and economic activity, she said.

The Rajiv Yuva Vikasam scheme, aimed at self-employment for unemployed youth, is set for rollout in August. The government received 16.21 lakh applications in April and May for 4.91 lakh units. Shortlisted candidates have been forwarded to banks for final approval under the hybrid scheme combining government subsidies and bank loans, with support ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 4 lakh.