The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Ration cards: Minister admits to flaws

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Monday, Jun 29, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Ration cards: Minister admits to flaws

Special Correspondent

“Cards given to some affluent persons, including those owning Mercedes cars ”

HYDERABAD: Obtaining white ration cards issued to members of below poverty line families in bogus and fictitious names is a common feature.

But, dealers and middlemen in the State have gone a step ahead.

In spite of the mandatory use of IRIS technology for issuance of ration cards, dealers and middlemen managed to get ration cards affixing photographs of hillocks, trains and trees!

Civil Supplies Minister J. Krishna Rao on Sunday attributed this to ‘mistakes’ that had crept into the issuance of cards at the mandal level, where, in some, cases cards were given in the name of the dead and affluent persons, including those owning Mercedes Benz cars!

Speaking to reporters after attending a meeting convened by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy to review prices of essential commodities, he said teams constituted by the Government would visit villages from July first week.

They were not just meant for weeding out bogus cards, but also identify genuine poor who had been left out from the list of beneficiaries of ration cards.

Mr. Rao clarified that the government had to reduce the red gram quota to card-holders from one kg to half due to shortage of commodity in the market.

Though it floated global tenders and sought Central agencies’ help for obtaining the requisite stocks, it could not mobilise adequate quantity of red gram to meet the requirement.

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