Biometric Snags Causing Hardships To Cardholders To Avail Ration Supplies

The cardholders are forced to wait in long queues for hours to complete the biometric authentication to avail ration supplies from the shop. In spite of bringing the matter to the notice of officials concerned, nothing concrete has been done leaving card holders on the edge.

Several ration beneficiaries raised complaints against biometric authentication systems and frequent failures in fingerprint recognition apart from server errors. Another problem leaving car holders high and dry is slow response time at the Point of Sale (PoS) machines.

“These technical issues have led to delays in ration distribution and long waiting times at ration shops,” a ration beneficiary said, adding that cardholders visited the civil supplies office in Bachupally demanding an immediate change in biometric software used by Telangana Civil Supplies department.

A few beneficiaries said that the previous government provided ration regularly without such complications, but the current administration appears unprepared to handle the distribution system efficiently. Some residents mentioned that despite the early announcement of a three-month ration plan, inadequate software infrastructure has hindered its smooth implementation.

Responding to cardholders’ complaints, officials said that a verification drive is on to update eKYC data to address inactive or fraudulent ration cards. Meanwhile, civil supplies authorities have assured that all eligible beneficiaries will receive their full entitlement once authentication issues are resolved.

As the distribution continues throughout June, further steps may be taken to improve technical systems and ensure that the intended beneficiaries receive their supplies without further disruption, officials said.

According to officials, the Telangana government began the distribution of three-month ration supply to all eligible ration cardholders across the State in June 2025.

The initiative aims to provide food security during the monsoon season by distributing rations for June, July, and August in one cycle. While the initiative was welcomed by many beneficiaries, it has also sparked public dissatisfaction due to issues with the biometric software system used at fair price shops.

Under this initiative, Food Security Card (FSC) holders receive six kg of fine rice per person per month, a total of 18 kg per individual for the three months.

Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) cardholders are entitled to 35 kg of rice and one kg of sugar at subsidised rates, while Annapurna cardholders get 10 kg of rice. Wheat entitlements are also included for urban areas. However, to claim the ration, beneficiaries must authenticate their identity through biometric verification for each of the three months.