Telanagna govt checks data, saves ration rice

Hyderabad: The cross verification of public data has helped the state government save over 30 per cent of ration rice. The data available with transport and municipal departments and power utilities and that of government employees of various departments was cross-verified. This was checked against Aadhaar data and at point-of-sale machines.

Only 60 to 70 per cent of total ration card holders were availing subsidised rice, indicating that the rest were bogus card holders. However, the civil supplies department has received complaints that some genuine beneficiaries were being left out due to gaps in cross-verification.

Civil supplies commissioner C.V. Anand directed officials to restore the ration cards of such benerficiaries by re-verifying data. Officials cancelled some ration cards on the grounds that the beneficiaries owned a four-wheeler and a house constructed on 200 sq.yard plot and paying property tax.

Those paying more than Rs 1,000 for power and those who were not taking ration since April were also excluded. Officials also cancelled the ration cards of government employees and pensioners after it was found that they secured ration cards only to avail Arogyasri and fee reimbursement benefits.

A few beneficiaries said  they had sold their four-wheelers while some others said they purchased them by taking loans. Some beneficiaries that the house-owners were paying property tax while others said they could not take rations since April as they had to leave for their native places.

Taking these factors into consideration, Mr Anand directed officials to take up reverification and restore cards of genuine beneficiaries. Already, 3,800 cancelled cards were restored.