Hyderabad: Smart ration cards will strengthen the social dignity of poor families and reduce their financial burden, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Danasari Anasuya Seethakka said on Tuesday. She distributed new QR-coded smart ration cards to beneficiaries from Mulugu and Mallampalli mandals.
Seethakka distributed the cards at the RDO office meeting hall along with Collector Borkhade Hemant Sahadeo Rao. The Minister said the government was issuing new cards so eligible poor families could access the fine rice scheme.
So far, the State has distributed more than 15 lakh new ration cards, she said. Moreover, Seethakka said buying fine rice in the open market had become a burden for poor families.
Therefore, supplying fine rice through ration shops would provide financial relief to these households, she said. In addition, the smart ration cards would help people obtain various certificates and access healthcare services, including Aarogyasri.
The government was prioritising eligible poor families while issuing the new cards, Seethakka said. At the same time, officials would continue efforts to provide cards to eligible applicants who had not received them.
Smart ration cards and pension support expanded
Seethakka also announced that the government had extended the deadline for social security pension applications by another 15 days. The extension would help people in remote areas who faced difficulties in submitting applications.
So far, around four lakh people across Telangana had applied for pensions, she said. Subsequently, officials would conduct field-level verification and identify eligible beneficiaries.
The Minister said the government aimed to provide direct support to poor families through several welfare programmes. These included fine rice distribution, free electricity for eligible households, free bus travel for women and Indiramma houses.
She said the government would continue efforts to ensure welfare benefits reached eligible families. In this process, smart ration cards would help beneficiaries access essential welfare-linked services.
Pension applications get more time
Seethakka said the extended pension application window would give more eligible people an opportunity to apply. Officials would verify applications at the field level before identifying beneficiaries.
She said the government was focused on ensuring that welfare schemes reached deserving families. The Minister also reiterated the importance of providing support to people in remote areas.
Additional Collector (Revenue) C.H. Mahenderji, District Library Corporation chairman Banothu Ravichander, Mulugu Municipal chairperson Chinta Nippula Chandrakala, DCSO Faizal Hussaini, DM Krishnaveni and tahsildars attended the programme.