On a balmy day, a team of officials were inspecting a slum area near Nallakunta Housing Board colony in Guntur, where over 100 families eke out their livelihood by working in chilli fields. Joint Collector, Revenue and Rythu Bharosa, A.S. Dinesh Kumar, who was leading the team, got down from the car and walked into the area.
He began by asking about their families and how they were benefited by the welfare schemes of the government and if they had been given house site pattas in Jagananna Colonies.
Then, sensing that the women were about to have their meal, Mr. Dinesh asked them if he could share a meal with them. Overjoyed, the women provided a plate of rice and curry. The rice was provided to them by the State government as part of Public Distribution System.
The State government had been providing quality rice to the poor households through a door-to-door programme. Mobile vendors supply rice through mobile dispensing vehicles.
“The quality of rice is so good here and we are happy that the people are having quality rice which improves their health. Earlier, lesser quality of rice used to be supplied to people as part of PDS, but now the government is buying quality rice at ₹39 a kg and supplying to beneficiaries for just ₹1,’’ said Mr. Dinesh.
The Civil Supplies department, which introduced the novel door-to-door ration distribution, had also introduced an offline method to distribute dry ration in areas without cellphone connectivity. The department had also ensured that ration stocks were kept at village/ward secretariats to enable beneficiaries to collect ration from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
To enable migrant labourers to get ration, the department had allowed the portability system to get ration from their nearest ration shop after 7 p.m.