Ration Card Mess in Hyderabad: Families Struggle After Name Deletion Errors
The recent rollout of new ration cards in Hyderabad has led to chaos and confusion, with thousands of families reporting incorrect deletions of names from their existing ration cards.
Hyderabad: The recent rollout of new ration cards in Hyderabad has led to chaos and confusion, with thousands of families reporting incorrect deletions of names from their existing ration cards. Instead of removing specific individuals, civil supplies department staff have reportedly deleted the names of other family members due to application errors and oversight.
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Newly Formed Families Struggle to Apply for Ration Cards
Many newly married couples are attempting to apply for separate ration cards but are facing major hurdles. Although they are trying to remove their names from their parents’ cards, their applications are either delayed or handled incorrectly. In several cases, the wrong family members have been deleted, leading to denial of monthly ration quotas.
Mass Offline Applications Submitted for Deletion
Civil supplies offices in Greater Hyderabad have been overwhelmed with more than two lakh offline applications from individuals requesting name deletion. These requests span across three major districts, where up to two percent of ration card members have reportedly had their names removed—often erroneously.
Urban and Rural Impact: Over 60 Lakh Beneficiaries Affected
Hyderabad city holds about 12.34 lakh ration cards covering 42.72 lakh beneficiaries across 12 urban circles. In rural districts, another 5 lakh cards account for over 17 lakh beneficiaries. Around 10% of households have undergone family restructuring due to marriage, leading to a surge in demand for new ration cards.
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No Approval for Addition of New Members Since 8 Years
While deletions are processed continuously, there has been a virtual freeze on adding new members to existing ration cards for the past eight years. Even though over three lakh families have applied to add about nine lakh new members in the Greater Hyderabad area, their applications remain pending, causing serious hardships.
Poor Families Facing Food Insecurity Amid Name Deletions
The government has yet to reopen the online portal for accepting new member additions, leaving many poor families without access to their full ration quotas. As names continue to be removed from cards, monthly food supplies are being reduced accordingly. Families are making rounds of MeeSeva and civil supplies offices with little success or support.
Urgent Need for Streamlined Ration Card Update Process
There is a growing demand for the Telangana state government to immediately streamline the ration card update process, including a clear and error-free system for deletion and addition of members. Until then, lakhs of families continue to suffer due to administrative lapses and delayed digital reforms.
