The state government will soon issue Green Ration Cards for Above Poverty Line (APL) households. However, it has not yet decided the benefits to be extended to these cardholders.
Hyderabad:The state government will soon issue Green Ration Cards for Above Poverty Line (APL) households. However, it has not yet decided the benefits to be extended to these cardholders.
In an informal chat with media persons on the Legislative Assembly premises on Thursday, civil supplies minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that Below Poverty Line (BPL) families will receive Tricolour Ration Cards for free ration rice, while Green Ration Card holders will not be entitled to free rice.
The minister said that the government is still deliberating on the specific benefits to be extended to APL families holding Green Ration Cards. As of now, these cards will serve as valid proof of address for obtaining passports, domicile certificates, and other official documentation.
However, the state government is considering to extend welfare scheme benefits to APL families, such as Arogyasri healthcare services, fee reimbursement, scholarships, Cheyutha pensions for the elderly, and Mahalakshmi pensions for women for green ration cardholders.
Furthermore, the government plans to provide subsidised essential commodities, including red gram, palmolein oil, wholemeal flour, wheat, iodised salt, sugar, tamarind, and spices through ration shops in the coming months. The inclusion of green ration cardholders in these benefits is under review.
Currently, ration shops distribute only free ration rice. Historically, in the undivided Andhra Pradesh, pink and white ration cards were issued to APL and BPL families, respectively. However, after Telangana's formation in 2014, the BRS government abolished pink ration cards for APL families, retaining only white ration cards for BPL families.
Responding to growing demands from APL households to reinstate a ration card system, the Congress government has decided to introduce green ration cards, the minister said.
Uttam Kumar Reddy also announced that the civil supplies department will soon roll out new smart ration cards embedded with QR codes in both green and tricolour categories.
