HYDERABAD: It's not just the rice that is getting the ration card holders flock to the fair price shops (FPS) in the city and elsewhere in the state. It's the government's cash offer of 1,500 that is drawing the white ration card holders out in droves only to get disappointed on not being given cash at the FPS.
The card holders were under the belief that 1,500 would be given only if they take the 12-kg rice offered by the government during the lockdown. Though the government had made it clear that 1,500 would be directly deposited into the bank accounts of the card holders, the control room numbers of the civil supplies department are ringing with thousands of callers asking whether taking rice is mandatory to get the cash and whether the cards on which rice has not been taken for a year are active or should be re-activated by availing the 12-kg rice offer.
Senior officials said the exercise to deposit 1,500 into the bank accounts of the card holders would commence soon.
Further, enquiries have revealed that there are lakhs of card holders who do not take subsidy rice given by the government through public distribution system (PDS) every month. A substantial number of these card holders are above poverty line specifications prescribed by the government to be eligible for a white ration card. However, they managed to get the white ration card through various means.
Sources said they had obtained the white ration card mainly to avail Aarogyasri health scheme to get free medical treatment in corporate hospitals and also to get other benefits. Though the government had started weeding out bogus white ration cards, the exercise was stopped mid-way. Senior officials said the moment news spread that the government was deactivating the ration cards on which the subsidy rice is not being taken, the card holders started taking rice or coming to an understanding with the FPS dealer to keep their quota of rice after giving their thumb impressions on the biometric machine.
The government saved a lot of money after crying halt to the deactivation process, officials said. Now, all the card holders see this as an opportunity to become active card holders by availing the 12-kg rice as well as the cash offer.
The card holders were under the belief that 1,500 would be given only if they take the 12-kg rice offered by the government during the lockdown. Though the government had made it clear that 1,500 would be directly deposited into the bank accounts of the card holders, the control room numbers of the civil supplies department are ringing with thousands of callers asking whether taking rice is mandatory to get the cash and whether the cards on which rice has not been taken for a year are active or should be re-activated by availing the 12-kg rice offer.
Senior officials said the exercise to deposit 1,500 into the bank accounts of the card holders would commence soon.
Further, enquiries have revealed that there are lakhs of card holders who do not take subsidy rice given by the government through public distribution system (PDS) every month. A substantial number of these card holders are above poverty line specifications prescribed by the government to be eligible for a white ration card. However, they managed to get the white ration card through various means.
Sources said they had obtained the white ration card mainly to avail Aarogyasri health scheme to get free medical treatment in corporate hospitals and also to get other benefits. Though the government had started weeding out bogus white ration cards, the exercise was stopped mid-way. Senior officials said the moment news spread that the government was deactivating the ration cards on which the subsidy rice is not being taken, the card holders started taking rice or coming to an understanding with the FPS dealer to keep their quota of rice after giving their thumb impressions on the biometric machine.
The government saved a lot of money after crying halt to the deactivation process, officials said. Now, all the card holders see this as an opportunity to become active card holders by availing the 12-kg rice as well as the cash offer.
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