Food security cards to all eligible persons by April

Hyderabad, March 27, 2015 (Agencies) The Telangana Government’s endeavour was to ensure that all eligible persons in the state would be provided with the Food Security Card by the end of April this year. Disclosing this in the State Assembly during question hour on Thursday Finance Minister Eetala Rajender suggested to the members to bring to the notice of the State Government if anyone from their respective Assembly constituency had not received the card so that necessary steps would be taken to provide the cards in time.

Asserting that every eligible person would be provided with the Food Security Card, the Finance Minister pointed out that examination of the applications received so far by the government are still under scrutiny. There is still time for those who are eligible for the cards to submit their applications, he explained.

The Finance Minister further said that once the scrutiny of the applications so far received are completed, the government would ensure that every individual I the family would be supplied with



six kilos of rice unlike four kilos in the past. For this purpose the government has earmarked Rsa.2600 crores in the budget, he said and added that steps are also being made to see that permanent Food Security Cards would be issued at a nominal fee.

Pointing out that the Central Government had stipulated that every card holder should be issued five kilos of rice, the Finance Minister said that the Telangana Government has decided to provide six kilos of rice. Even students in the hostels were being provided with fine rice, he reminded and reiterated that if any one is found indulging in irregularities in this aspect would be punished severely.

Assuring that the state government was actively considering to enhance the commissions for the ration dealers, the Finance Minister said that steps would be taken to identify the ration shops in far off places in urban areas and see to it that the essential commodities were provided to the shops located nearer to the place of residence of card holders.