Civil supplies minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy
Hyderabad: Civil supplies minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said the government's newly-launched free fine rice distribution scheme to BPL families through ration shops was receiving a great response. He called it the largest food security initiative in India’s history and asked officials to ensure proper monitoring, smooth transport, and full involvement of public representatives in effective implementation of this scheme.
The minister invited MPs, MLAs and MLCs to join the distribution process and also eat meals with beneficiaries to build trust.
He announced that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy would have lunch with a beneficiary in Bhadrachalam on April 6, Sri Rama Navami. Uttam Kumar Reddy himself would have dinner with a PDS beneficiary in Suryapet on Friday night.
The minister was speaking at a video conference with collectors of all districts. “This scheme is bringing a real change in people’s lives. We must make this a historic and inclusive effort,” he said.
The minister said nearly 85 per cent of the state’s poor population would benefit from this programme. “Strict action will be taken if there are any malpractices. Everything must be done perfectly,” he said.
The minister recalled that earlier, the BRS government was distributing coarse rice which was not liked by the poor. Though the government spent Rs 10,665 crore every year on it, the rice remained unused. Most of it, he said, was sold in the black market. Rice worth Rs 8,000 crore was misused annually.
“After detailed study and several meetings with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, the Congress government has decided to replace coarse rice with fine rice,” he said. “This is a game-changer. It prevents misuse and provides real benefit to the poor.”
He said the scheme was launched on March 30 on Ugadi by CM Revanth Reddy from Huzurnagar constituency. Every eligible person would get 6 kg of fine rice per month. The government would distribute 30 lakh metric tonnes of rice every year at a cost of Rs 13,000 crore. The minister called it a model of social justice, saying it would benefit 3.1 crore people – around 85 per cent of Telangana’s population.
He also said no welfare scheme in independent India had ever reached such a large share of the population. “In my political career, I’ve never seen a programme of this scale,” he said. During the conference, district collectors said distribution was going on smoothly in most areas. Over 99 per cent coverage had been achieved in several districts, and public response was very positive.
Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari directed collectors to counter false propaganda about the scheme. She asked them to share factual information and highlight the success of the programme.
