Uttam: Telangana creates history by distributing over 5.61 lakh new ration cards in single phase

The launch marked the first large-scale ration card distribution in over 11 years

By Newsmeter Network
Published on : 14 July 2025 7:26 PM IST

Uttam: Telangana creates history by distributing over 5.61 lakh new ration cards in single phase

Tungathurthi (Suryapet): Irrigation, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Capt. N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday claimed that the Congress government in Telangana has created history in the welfare journey by launching the Statewide distribution of over 5.61 lakh new ration cards in a single phase.

ā€œThis is a new Telangana. If you’re eligible, you will get a ration card. No bribes, no brokers, no waiting lists. No questions asked. We are restoring the dignity of our people and ending a decade of discrimination,ā€ Uttam declared.

ā€˜Revolution in public service delivery’

Addressing a massive public meeting in Tirumalagiri, Tungathurthi constituency, after chief minister A Revanth Reddy launched the new ration cards, Uttam Kumar Reddy called the move a ā€˜revolution in public service delivery’. He said every eligible person would now be guaranteed a ration card, with the process continuing seamlessly until full saturation is achieved.

He said the previous BRS regime had denied lakhs of poor families their right to food, not only by refusing to issue new ration cards but also by blocking updates like the addition or deletion of family members, causing severe hardships for growing households.

ā€œThose days are over. Under the Congress government, this will now be a continuous process– transparent, accountable and people-first,ā€ he said.

Scheme covers 95.56 lakh households

The launch marked the first large-scale ration card distribution in over 11 years, taking the total number of ration card holders to 95.56 lakh households, covering more than 3.09 crore beneficiaries.

ā€œNo other State in India has issued over 5.6 lakh ration cards in a single phase. This is a national record,ā€ Uttam said.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the ration card drive was part of a broader transformation that had made Telangana the first State in the world to provide 6 kg of fine rice per person to 80 per cent of its population, entirely free of cost.

ā€œThis is not an election promise. This is a moral commitment. We are feeding our people with dignity, with quality, and without conditions. Over three crore people now receive fine rice that is better in quality than anything ever supplied before,ā€ he said.

ā€˜Most complete implementation of the National Food Security Act’

The minister said the scheme represented true welfare, inspired by the vision of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, under whose leadership the UPA government had passed the National Food Security Act.

ā€œSonia Gandhi gave India the legal right to food. Today, the Congress government in Telangana has given that law a soul, by delivering it to the doorstep of every poor family in this State,ā€ Uttam Kumar Reddy said, adding that this was the most complete implementation of the Act anywhere in India.

Recalling the state of affairs when the Congress took power in December 2023, Uttam Kumar Reddy said, ā€œWe inherited a system in shambles. The Civil Supplies Corporation was crippled, with Rs 59,000 crore in liabilities and Rs 11,000 crore in accumulated losses. The quality of rice being distributed then was so poor that many families couldn’t even cook it.ā€

ā€˜Rs 13,000 crore annual spending on fine rice’

He said the Congress government had not only revived the department but turned it into the engine of India’s most ambitious welfare programme. ā€œWithin 18 months, we have proved what political will and commitment can achieve. The Civil Supplies Department is now a symbol of efficiency and compassion,ā€ he said.

Uttam Kumar Reddy revealed that the Telangana government was now spending Rs 13,000 crore annually to procure and distribute fine rice. He noted that no other State offers this level of quality grain free of cost. ā€œThis is not broken rice or substandard leftovers. This is fine quality rice, the kind every family deserves,ā€ he said.

To support the scheme, the government had also introduced a Rs 500 per quintal bonus for farmers cultivating fine paddy. ā€œThis helped Telangana record an all-time high in grain production, 281 lakh metric tonnes in Kharif and Rabi seasons,ā€ he said.

ā€œEven the Government of India acknowledged Telangana as the top grain-producing State. We are feeding the poor and supporting the farmer, which is the Congress model,ā€ he declared.

Speeding up completion of irrigation projects

Further, he said the irrigation department, which had collapsed under the previous BRS regime, was revived by the Congress government and entrusted with the goal of achieving maximum ayacut with minimal expenditure. All pending irrigation projects, he said, were now being taken up on a war footing to ensure their speedy completion. He added that the Congress government was actively fighting to secure Telangana’s rightful share in the Krishna and Godavari rivers, which is crucial for the State’s long-term water security.

Uttam Kumar Reddy pointed out that improved irrigation would naturally lead to better agricultural yield, which in turn could be channelled through the Public Distribution System (PDS) to benefit the people.

He said ration cards were being issued to every eligible person so that they could access these benefits without delay.

He concluded that all these efforts in irrigation, food production, and welfare delivery are closely interlinked, and that the Congress government is handling the entire ecosystem with efficiency and vision.

Summing up the State’s achievements, Uttam Kumar Reddy said, ā€œToday, Telangana holds the record for issuing 5.61 lakh ration cards at once; covering 80 per cent of the population under free food security; distributing fine rice at zero cost to every cardholder; achieving record paddy production and being the only state in India to give Rs 500 bonus per quintal for fine paddy.ā€

ā€œThis is an unbeatable model of governance, not just for India, but for the world. From food security to farmer support, Telangana is showing the way forward.ā€

He reaffirmed that the Congress government’s mission was far from over. ā€œThis is only the beginning. Our government will continue to build a Telangana where no family sleeps hungry, and no farmer feels abandoned.ā€

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