A white ration card is a valuable possession for families below the poverty line in the State. Issuing them afresh or weeding them out is a sensitive issue. The ration card provides rice and other essential commodities sold through the public distribution system, social security pensions, and benefits such as treatment under the Arogyasri health insurance scheme.
As several aged, widowed, and differently-abled persons have no white ration card in their possession, they are deprived of pension, which they got at one point of time providing them the much-needed support. In the municipal corporation limits itself, a total of 3,150 persons under the three categories have been deprived of pension.
Survey
An integrated common field survey for ration cards was taken up during September/October 2009 when 59,501 pensions were being given. During April/May 2010, notices were served on 9,527 persons asking them to explain why their pensions should not be cancelled for being ineligible. Responding to it, 3,602 produced documents in support of their claim, which were sent to the DRDA and then to the Rural Development Department. The department rejected 1,621 claims. Thus, a total of 5,865 pensions were cancelled in July 2010.
Of them, 3,150 persons come under the category of old-age, widow, and differently-abled. The old-age pension of Rs.200 is given to those above 65 years. Among them are the homeless. While destitute persons are not given the social security pension, they can be given pension under the aged and widow categories.
According to GVMC Urban Community Project Director D.V. Ramana Murthy, the pensions could not be given because they have no ration card, or their name does not figure in the ration card. “One of the parameters for issuing pension is the ration card. Unless the 10-digit number is keyed in, the computer will not accept it,” he said.
In the district (excluding GVMC), 8,858 pensions have been cancelled under the three categories.
