Telangana News | Govt to Invite Fresh Applications for New Ration and Aarogyasri Cards

Hyderabad: Telangana State government has announced plans to invite fresh applications for new ration cards, bypassing the previously submitted ‘Praja Palana’ applications.

Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy made the announcement in the Legislative Council on Wednesday, stating that separate applications would now be required for new ration cards and Aarogyasri cards.

Answering a question in the Council, Uttam Kumar Reddy clarified that the new ration cards would be issued exclusively to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. The eligibility criteria for Aarogyasri cards are still under review by a Cabinet sub-committee, with plans to expand coverage to additional sections of the population.

“We will finalize the guidelines for fresh ration cards in a couple of weeks. In addition to rice, the government is considering the supply of other essential goods to ration card holders. The eligibility criteria for new ration cards will be based on the Cabinet sub-committee’s recommendations,” he stated.

The Minister assured that old ration cards would remain valid until the new ones are issued and mentioned that the application format for the new ration card was being finalized, temporarily halting the online application process.

BRS MLC Surabhi Vani Devi pointed out that the State government had received fresh applications through Praja Darbar and Praja Palana programmes but had yet to determine the exact number of pending applications and the timeline for issuing new ration cards. She urged the government to expedite the process to ensure that people are not deprived of their basic needs.

In response, Uttam Kumar Reddy asserted that no one is facing difficulties due to the delay in issuing ration cards and that any issues would be addressed appropriately. He noted that no new ration cards had been issued during the BRS regime, which drew objections from MLC and former Minister Satyavathi Rathod, who highlighted that the previous BRS government had issued over six lakh new ration cards.

The Telangana government’s decision aims to streamline the process of issuing ration and Aarogyasri cards to ensure that eligible individuals receive the benefits they are entitled to, thereby addressing the needs of the most vulnerable sections of society.