The Telangana government has taken up district-wide distribution of rations under the National Food Security (FS) Act, though the Food Security cards are yet to be issued.
The government began distribution of six kg of rice per head at Re. 1 this year as it removed the earlier household cap of 20 kg of rice per family. Additionally, the government is providing one kg of wheat, 0.5 kg of sugar, 0.5 kg tamarind, and four litres of kerosene to households without LPG connections.
On Tuesday, TRS Ministers T. Srinivas Yadav, Mohammad Mehmood Ali and T. Padma Rao Goud began distribution under the new scheme in fair price shops in Bansilalpet, Shankarnagar of Malakpet and Secunderabad’s Addagutta, respectively.
The Ministers assured people that there would no hoarding and all the 870 fair price shops in twin cities would be inspected on weekly basis to weed out corrupt practices. They also said that the scheme would be made available to all those found eligible. Currently, the Hyderabad district administration has verified around five lakh applicants, said Hyderabad District Supplies Officer (DSO) V. Rajasekhar, adding that they were waiting for word on the issue of FSCs.
Interim arrangementsAsked if interim arrangements had been made to make rations available in the absence of FSCs to applicants awaiting verification, the official said that individuals with genuine white ration cards could avail of rations until the verification process was completed. Under the Act, white ration cards are to be replaced with FSCs.
