Hyderabad:
The State government of Telangana has decided to open up applications for new ration cards, giving another chance to those who missed out during the earlier Praja Palana drive.
A cabinet sub-committee is expected to meet with MPs and MLAs to discuss how many ration cards need to be issued in their constituencies.
According to official sources, this sub-committee, including Ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Damodar Rajanarsimha, and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, held its first meeting earlier this month. During this meeting, they discussed the criteria for issuing new ration cards and the possibility of inviting fresh applications. They are also working on creating new guidelines. A senior official informed The Hans India that once the criteria are finalized, the process for new applications will begin. However, they are currently gathering suggestions from MPs and MLAs either through meetings or via mail.
During the Praja Palana drive held in December and January, the government received 1.25 crore applications, out of which around 20 lakh were for ration cards. At present, around 90 lakh households in Telangana have ration cards. When Telangana was formed, there were about 91 lakh ration cards, but this number dropped to just over 89 lakh due to cancellations and families migrating to Andhra Pradesh. Between 2016 and 2023, 6.4 lakh new ration cards were issued, but approximately 6 lakh were deleted.
In the recent sub-committee meeting, there were discussions about setting eligibility criteria for the new ration cards. The proposed criteria suggest that applicants should not have an income exceeding Rs 1.5 lakh in rural areas and Rs 2 lakh in urban areas. Additionally, those who own more than 3.5 acres of wetland or 7.5 acres of dry land might be considered ineligible.
However, the proposal to link land ownership with the eligibility for ration cards has raised concerns among the public. Some people fear that this proposal could lead to a reduction in the number of ration cards, especially in rural areas, due to the current financial challenges faced by the government. A resident from Siddipet, K Rammurthy, expressed his concerns, stating that farmers or owners of barren lands might lose their ration cards if this proposal is implemented. He urged the government to reconsider this decision.
