Telangana: Apply for ration card, processing back on track

HYDERABAD: Telangana State Civil Supplies Department (TSCSD) has resumed accepting Food Security Cards (FSC) or ration card applications after putting them on hold for an entire year. The applications will now be cross-checked with the Integrated Information Hub (IIH), a database collected as part of generating a 360-degree profile of citizens by the Telangana police.

“We started accepting application online from April 1, 2018, and the processing has already started for Hyderabad. For rest of the districts, it will begin shortly,” said MK Rathod, district civil supplies officer. “The processing of applications was put on hold due to the electronic-Point of Sales (e-PoS) rollout. We have started the process and a field inspector can verify, maybe, 15 to 20 applications a day,” he added. However, some MeeSeeva centres Express got in touch with were unaware of TSCSD’s decision of processing of applications.

Criteria for the card

The criteria for obtaining a ration card includes earning less than Rs 2 lakh per annum and possessing an Aadhaar card. Beneficiaries also need to pass the IIH scrutiny. “There is no scope for bogus ration cards entering into the rolls anymore,” said another employee with the department. “We will cross-check the Aadhaar details of the person applying for ration card with IIH,” the official added.

E-PoS saves 2 L tonnes of rice for State

The State, with help of e-PoS, has managed to save two lakh tonnes of rice amounting to `574 crore by weeding ghost beneficiaries. The Aadhaar details of beneficiaries are linked by machines and ration card holder gets SMS alerts and details of transaction along with information on how much more they are eligible for. Minister Etela Rajender, in March, had announced that all new ration cards would be issued before April 30.

Work in progress

6,342 new ration applications received by the Civil Supplies department from Hyderabad
155 applications approved in last couple of weeks
4,06,397 bogus cards weeded by the TSCSD in Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and Medchal districts as of March end

Cause of delay

Rollout of electronic-Point of Sale machine
1,545 e-PoS launched in March 2016 as pilot project in ration shops in Hyderabad