15 lakh bogus rations cards weeded out in Telangana: Etela Rajinder

The Telangana Minister for Finance and Civil Supplies, Etela Rajender said that 15 lakh Food Security Cards have been duplicated in Telangana and will be weeded out by May 1 after seeding them with Aadhar and genuine cards are restored. He threatened of imposing PD Act and stringent measures against illegal hoarders of ration goods, ration shop dealers, petrol bunks responsible for such acts.

The Minister reiterated that the TRS government will be providing food security to 2.60 crore people by spending Rs. 2,600 crores while the Center will provide Rs. 225 crores financial assistance to the State to supply latest e-pass equipment to ration shops to ensure proper distribution of goods like sugar, tuar dal, rice etc.

He said the preparation of Ration cards will cost only Rs. 5, while the previous Congress government used to collect Rs. 15 to Rs. 20 from the beneficiaries, similarly for the purchase of sugar or anything, purchases will be made district wise and will be distributed.

The Minister also informed that the Central government has agreed to transfer the funds of Rs. 7,049 crores which was due because of Central Plan for collecting GST instead of CST and assurance given to state for covering the losses by Central government in case if there is anything loss in the implementation of GST. The first installment, Rs. 454.06 crores will be released to the State by Central government soon, he said.

Adding that the State has build pressure on the Central government for increasing the FRBM limit form the present 3.5 per cent to 4 per cent, the Minister said that he is expecting around Rs. 18 thousand crores from the Central government financial packages, apart from increasing the devolution of funds from 32 per cent to 42 per cent.