Distribution of food security cards, ration cards, for supply of essentials like rice to eligible families, started on Monday.
The State government selected over 3.09 lakh food security cards to eligible families. The new ration cards would take the number of families covered through public distribution system to over 90.5 lakh. Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Ministers, MLAs and other people’s representatives participated in the programmes organised for distribution of food security cards in their areas.
Participating in the programme at Nasrullahbad mandal headquarters, the Speaker said the government took care to provide food security cards to a majority of deserving families in the State. The government was committed to ensuring that no family suffered because of hunger and, hence, all eligible poor families were brought under the PDS.
He recalled that the previous governments had distributed rice at 4 kg per person subject to a maximum of 20 kg to each family. The TRS government had increased the quantum to 6 kg a person irrespective of the number of members in the families. The government was spending ₹2,766 crore a year to meet the requirements in this regard, proving its commitment to the cause of the poor.
Elsewhere, Ministers G. Jagdishwar Reddy, T. Srinivas Yadav, Vemula Prashanth Reddy and Satyavati Rathod distributed food security cards to eligible families. A meeting convened in Suryapet district witnessed ruckus as Congress MLA K. Rajagopal Reddy alleged that the officials concerned had not invited him to the meeting, violating the protocol norms. The meeting witnessed slogan shouting by Mr. Rajagopal Reddy’s supporters for some time, but normalcy was restored soon.