â–Ş Mahabubnagar District
State Excise, Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Jupally Krishna Rao said the distribution of ration would become easier, more transparent and free from corruption with the introduction of smart ration cards. He formally launched the distribution of smart ration cards at the Mahabubnagar Collectorate as part of the 80th Independence Day celebrations, along with Devarkadra MLA G. Madhusudan Reddy and District Collector Khushboo Gupta.
Jupally Krishna Rao said the People’s Government had taken special measures to issue ration cards after assuming office. He said no new ration cards had been issued for nearly a decade and that the present government had issued more than 1.05 crore new smart ration cards across Telangana. He said steps had also been taken to add eligible family members so that beneficiaries could receive additional fine rice.
The minister said the total number of ration cards in Mahabubnagar district had reached 2,79,523, covering 9,61,377 beneficiaries. He explained that technology had been incorporated into the ration distribution system to improve transparency and make changes to family details easier.
He said beneficiaries would be able to access information about family members, additions and deletions of names and changes following marriage through the smart ration card system. Details of supplies received by ration shops, stocks available and commodities distributed to beneficiaries would also be maintained transparently. Beneficiaries could verify the details on their smart cards online, he said.
Jupally said the objective was to prevent misuse of government funds, provide transparent services to the public and eliminate opportunities for corruption. He added that the government had continued welfare schemes despite financial difficulties, while also implementing initiatives such as farmer loan waivers, Indiramma houses, bonuses for fine rice, cooking gas cylinders at â‚ą500 and free electricity.
He said steps were also being taken to provide new pensions to eligible beneficiaries. The minister urged people to make proper use of government welfare schemes and advised parents to pay special attention to their children’s education and encourage them to use technology to enhance their knowledge. He also called upon women’s groups and farmers’ organisations to work collectively for the development and self-reliance of villages.
Devarkadra MLA G. Madhusudan Reddy said ration cards were crucial for ensuring food and health security for poor families. He said many people had been unable to access welfare benefits because new ration cards were not issued and there was no facility to add newly eligible family members during the previous period.
He said 63,367 ration cards were currently available across the six mandals of Devarkadra constituency, including around 20,000 newly issued cards. Smart ration cards were being provided to all eligible applicants who applied by May 31, he said, adding that applications for new cards were still being accepted and eligible beneficiaries would receive smart cards in subsequent phases.
The MLA said scanning the QR code on the smart ration card would display family member details on a mobile phone and make the process of adding or removing eligible members easier. He warned that strict action would be taken against anyone attempting to tamper with smart cards or create fake cards.
District Collector Khushboo Gupta said more than one crore smart ration cards were being distributed across Telangana. She said beneficiaries could scan the QR code to easily verify family details and information about additions or deletions at any time. The system would reduce the need for beneficiaries to visit government offices repeatedly and would also make it easier for ration dealers to verify beneficiary details, she said.
Revenue Additional Collector J.L.B. Haripriya, Assistant Collector Under Training Sai Shivani, District Library Institution Chairman Mallu Narasimha Reddy, MUDA Chairman Lakshman Yadav, Market Committee Chairperson Bekkari Anitha, Mayor G. Mamatha, Bhoothpur Municipal Chairman Moodavath Balakoti, DSCO Gampa Srinivas, district officials, public representatives and smart ration card beneficiaries participated in the programme.
