The final schedule for distribution will be decided at the upcoming State Cabinet meeting, to be held within a week.
Hyderabad:With the addition of over two lakh new ration cards, nearly 80 per cent of Telangana’s households and population are now covered under the public distribution system (PDS), according to official data.
As per the findings of the recent caste census conducted by the government in November-December last, the total number of households stood at 1,15,71,457, with a total population of 3,54,75,554.
Following the sanctioning of 2,03,156 new ration cards, their total has risen to 91,98,438, covering 79.49 per cent of all households. Correspondingly, the number of beneficiaries has climbed to 3,11,75,554, approximately 80 per cent of the state's population.
Previously, Telangana had 89,95,282 ration cards, which covered 2,81,47,565 beneficiaries. In addition to the newly issued cards, the government also approved the inclusion of 29,81,356 new beneficiaries in the existing cards. As a result, the total number of beneficiaries has now increased to 3,11,28,921.
Applications for new ration cards and inclusion of new beneficiaries were invited by the state government starting January 26, 2025, and were subject to a thorough verification process.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle on Friday, civil supplies minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the newly sanctioned ration cards would be distributed at events planned at the Assembly constituency level. Ministers and local MLAs will participate in the distribution ceremonies, which are expected to take place in July.
The final schedule for distribution will be decided at the upcoming State Cabinet meeting, to be held within a week.
The minister stated that the government would issue Tricolour ration cards for BPL (below poverty line) families and green ration cards for APL (above poverty line) families, signalling a new classification scheme for food security entitlements. Although green ration cards would not be eligible to claim free sanna biyyam (fine rice) at present, the government is considering to supply other essential commodities for subsidised rates for APL families in the coming months.
"The Congress government is committed to ensuring food security for 80 per cent of the population through the public distribution system. Ration card approval is a continuous process and every eligible individual will receive a ration card," Uttam Kumar Reddy said.
