Confusion reigns supreme among ration card seekers

Hyderabad: Even as the State government begins the process of issuing new ration cards, there is confusion and panic among people as different databases are being used to ascertain the eligibility. Besides Praja Palana applications, applications from 2018 and caste survey are being used. Officials remain unclear about the situation due to improper communication at the field level.

In what is now cited as Phase-I for the list which was prepared at the Collectorate level, a limited number of households were identified allegedly without following the guidelines. This has triggered confusion and panic, as the names listed by the officials included those who already have cards and in some instances names of those who are part of the family.

A total of 19 lakh households have applied for the ration cards in the past decade through different means including Meeseva and other online services, Praja Palana and also recently concluded caste survey, said sources.

The Grama Sabhas which were started across Telangana on Tuesday lay bare the discrepancies as at several places, villagers were engaged in argument with the officials as the genuine beneficiaries were left out and the lists included names of ineligible persons.

Grama Sabhas are being held to identify the eligible beneficiaries for various schemes including Indiramma Indlu, ration cards, Indiramma Athmeeya Bharosa and Rythu Bharosa till January 24. However, officials tried to pacify by citing that this remains a continuous process, as the Collector will be approving the final list after thorough deliberations in Grama Sabhas.

Meanwhile, the Association for Socio-Economic Empowerment of the Marginalised (ASEEM) in a letter to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy questioned the usage of Samagra Vedika (360-degree software) developed by the previous government, based on the Samagra Kutumba survey database.

The Association has blamed the arbitrary exclusion of 20 lakh ration card holders from getting coverage under benefits. “This system has been widely criticised for its errors and secretive nature of programme by civil society organisations and many affected individuals had moved the High Court against the deletion of their ration cards,” stated SQ Masood of ASEEM.

He urged the government to amend the guidelines related to Samagra Kutumba Survey. The survey number has no legal backing and should not be used to tag ration card applications, he said. “We urge the government to scrap the Samagra Kutumba Survey and the 360-degree software system immediately, as they have no legal backing and are used in a secretive manner, against the principles of transparency, and in violation of the right to privacy and natural justice,” he argued.

The Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on January 19 clarified that no eligible and deserving person would be excluded, and no existing ration card would be canceled. The state government would consider the information/applications received under caste census, Praja Palana, Praja Vaani or the Mee-Seva centres for new ration cards. “The eligibility criteria are being determined through caste surveys, socio-economic data, and existing records, ensuring that only deserving individuals benefit. If any person is still left out, he/she can apply for a new ration card in the Gram Sabhas to be held till January 24,” he said.