HUZURNAGAR: In a landmark move to strengthen food security with dignity, the Telangana government on Sunday launched the country’s first scheme to distribute fine rice (sanna biyyam) free of cost to the poor through ration shops.
The scheme was formally inaugurated by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy during a public gathering at Huzurnagar in Suryapet district, coinciding with Ugadi celebrations.
The launch event was attended by several key dignitaries including Legislative Council Chairman Gutha Sukhender Reddy, Assembly Speaker Gadam Prasad Kumar, Cabinet Ministers Komatireddy Venkatreddy, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, D. Sridhar Babu, D. Seethakka, MLAs including N. Uttam Padmavathi, MLCs, MPs, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, Civil Supplies Commissioner D.S. Chauhan, and other senior officials.
6 kg fine rice per person from April 1 under PDS
As part of the launch event, CM Revanth Reddy personally handed over packets of fine rice to ten beneficiaries on stage. The state government will begin distribution of 6 kilograms of fine rice per person per month through the Public Distribution System (PDS) starting April 1. The rice will be provided free of cost to all eligible ration cardholders.
The scheme will benefit over 3.10 crore people, which is nearly 85 percent of Telangana’s population, making it the largest food security initiative in independent India.
Chief Minister calls it a historic step for dignity and equality
Calling the fine rice scheme a “historic” move, CM Revanth Reddy declared that the days of poor families eating inferior rice were over. “From now on, even the poor will eat the rice that rich people eat,” he said. “We have created history by launching this scheme. More than three crore people will now receive fine rice through the ration system.”
He also highlighted that Telangana produces nearly 12 lakh tonnes of fine paddy annually, with Nalgonda district alone contributing 8 lakh tonnes. The government procured fine paddy during the 2024–25 Kharif season and handed it over to rice mills under the Custom Milling Rice (CMR) system. Nearly 50% of the milled rice has already been moved to district warehouses, and stocks for April have reached the Mandal Level Stock (MLS) points and ration shops.
CM Revanth Reddy explained that coarse rice previously distributed through PDS was often rejected by beneficiaries and ended up being sold in the black market. “People were selling ration rice for ₹10 per kg, and millers were recycling it and selling it at ₹50,” he said. “This black market was worth nearly ₹10,000 crore annually.”
By offering fine rice instead, the government aims to ensure that beneficiaries actually consume the rice provided to them and are not forced to sell it.
Uttam Kumar Reddy: Fine rice is a game changer
Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy added that due to poor quality, 80–90 percent of ration rice was being diverted. He described the switch to fine rice as a “game changer in India’s food security landscape.”
He pointed out that this reform would reduce wastage and restore the integrity of the PDS, helping the government meet its original intent of feeding the needy.
CM Revanth Reddy also used the occasion to criticise former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), stating, “The idea of giving fine rice to the poor never crossed his mind. Instead, he told farmers: ‘If you grow paddy, I will hang you.’”
He contrasted this with the Congress government’s pro-farmer approach, citing a ₹500 per quintal bonus being paid for fine paddy. “We paid ₹1,199 crore in bonuses to 4.41 lakh farmers during the latest procurement,” he said.
Revanth Reddy assured that the scheme is here to stay permanently, stating, “No future government will dare to stop the fine rice scheme. It will continue regardless of political changes.”
Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy detailed broader PDS reforms introduced by the Congress government. At the time of Telangana’s formation, there were 89.73 lakh ration cards. During the 10-year rule of the BRS, only 49,479 new cards were issued.
In contrast, the Congress government has reopened applications, issued lakhs of new cards, and started adding eligible family members to existing ones. Telangana currently has around 90 lakh ration cards covering 2.85 crore people. With pending applications, the coverage will soon increase to 1 crore cards, reaching 3.10 crore beneficiaries.
The newly issued cards will be physical, QR-code enabled, but without electronic chips. Two colour-coded variants will be used: Tricolour cards for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families and Green cards for Above Poverty Line (APL) households.
Even individuals listed in the beneficiary database without a physical card will be entitled to receive fine rice from April 1.
The scheme will also introduce portability, allowing beneficiaries to collect rations from any fair price shop in the state, irrespective of where their card was issued. This will especially benefit migrant workers and mobile populations.
The government is also strengthening the network of ration dealers. Commissions for dealers have been increased, and efforts are underway to expand the number of items they can sell, improving their income and ensuring smoother delivery.
Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy acknowledged that the financial burden of the scheme is significant. Currently, the Centre and State together spend ₹10,665 crore annually on the PDS. Of this, the Centre contributes ₹5,489.5 crore and the State ₹5,175.5 crore. With the new beneficiaries, the cost will increase to ₹13,523 crore. Telangana’s share will rise to ₹8,033 crore — an additional ₹2,858 crore which the state government is prepared to absorb.
To ensure quality rice availability, the government has taken major steps to promote the cultivation of sannarakam (fine) paddy. During the latest season, 24 lakh metric tonnes were procured — the highest ever in Telangana’s history.
Special procurement centres were established, staff were trained to identify fine paddy, and digital grain calipers were used to verify grain quality and size. Each gunny bag was marked separately to prevent mixing of different grades.
Telangana to launch free fine rice scheme for 3.1 crore people from April 1
New proposals for Huzurnagar and Suryapet
During the meeting, Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy made two specific requests to the Chief Minister: an Agriculture College for Huzurnagar and a Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya for Suryapet district. He noted that all other undivided districts already have such institutions and that a location for the Navodaya school has already been identified in Kodad.
CM Revanth Reddy responded positively to both proposals and assured that the government would take necessary steps.
CM Revanth Reddy paid tribute to past leaders who supported food security initiatives. He said that the Congress introduced ration shops as early as 1957 and provided rice at ₹1.90 per kg. He also credited Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) for continuing the scheme and introducing ₹2/kg rice.
He acknowledged Sonia Gandhi for introducing the National Food Security Act and described her as the “mother who fed the poor.”
Hon’ble Chief Minister Sri.A.Revanth Reddy participates in Launch of Fine Rice(Sanna Biyyam) Distribution under PDS Scheme at Huzurnagar https://t.co/nmIDpWz2xj
— Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) March 30, 2025
