Essential Goods at FP Shops Soon: Uttam
Ration cards to be redesigned;
Suryapet: Irrigation and civil supplies minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday announced that essential groceries will soon be made available at fair price shops, in addition to the premium rice being distributed under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Speaking after inspecting preparations for a public meeting venue named Rajiv Pranganam in Mattapalli, the minister said the state government has decided to expand the role of fair price shops beyond rice distribution. A detailed plan for the sale of essential groceries is in the pipeline, and the government is also considering an increase in commissions for ration dealers.
Uttam Kumar Reddy highlighted that Telangana is the first state in India to supply a premium variety of rice to ration card holders. The programme will be launched by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy from Huzurnagar on March 30 and is expected to benefit three crore people — roughly 84 per cent of the state’s population.
He noted that the cultivation of fine rice varieties has increased, thanks to a Rs 500 per quintal incentive extended to farmers. As a result, 24 lakh quintals of premium paddy have been procured from 4.41 lakh farmers, with the government paying out Rs 1,199 crore in bonus payments over and above the Minimum Support Price (MSP).
Currently, 89.73 lakh families hold ration cards, covering 2.8 crore people. The government has received 30 lakh applications for new white ration cards, and the total number of PDS beneficiaries is expected to reach 3.1 crore after processing the new applications and updating existing ones.
The minister also announced a redesign of the ration cards — white cards will be replaced with Tricolour ones for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, while green cards will be issued to Above Poverty Line (APL) families.