The Telangana Assembly was plunged into pandemonium for the second day on Thursday as opposition members mounted a scathing attack on the government for the confusion and anxiety prevailing over the issue of new ration cards.
There was no clarity on the Arogyasri scheme either, whether the white ration card holders were eligible for it or not, the opposition members said.
Not satisfied with the reply of Finance Minister Eatala Rajender, BJP, Telugu Desam and Congress members staged walkouts separately for different reasons. The BJP protested denial of Arogyasri scheme to white card holders, TDP faulted the government for weeding out pensioners and the Congress complained against delinking white card holders from the welfare scheme.
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As Legislative Affairs Minister T. Harish Rao got up to launch a broadside against the TDP, its members walked in. E. Dayakar Rao protested against the Minister’s criticism and again walked out with his party MLAs.
Earlier, the Finance Minister said applications were being received for new ration cards and they would be issued once the verification process was over. He, however, clarified that white cards were meant only for rice and had no link with other welfare schemes. The government was having second thoughts on the pink ration cards since they had lost their use after the advent of Aadhar cards, he said.
The government’s sincerity to help the poor could be seen from the fact that it had removed the ceiling on monthly drawal of rice which was 20 kg earlier and increased per head quota from 4 kg to 6 kg. It had also raised the income limit of households to be eligible for ration cards.
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The government would also come out with better health and education schemes, the Finance Minister said.