The Revanth Reddy-led government has declared the ration card to be the golden ticket for those aspiring to hitch a ride on the bandwagon of the six guarantees.
The process of applying for the Congress's six guarantees has become arduous for many. (Deepika Pasham/South First)
In this ground report, South First brings you the issues beneficiaries are facing with the new “mandatory ration card” rule, the struggles to obtain a new ration card, and their roadblocks in ensuring fingerprint updates for all family members.
South First‘s quest for the beneficiaries’ narrative led us to Safilguda in the Medchal-Malkajgiri district, where we encountered K Prasanna, a tenacious housemaid embroiled in a five-year struggle to procure a new ration card — a journey that began during the BRS government’s rule.
“I am a housemaid, and I have been trying to get a new ration card for the past five years. When we were living with my mother-in-law, she wouldn’t share her allocated rice, dal, or other items with us, though my husband’s name was on the card. As we no longer live with her, I wanted to apply for a new ration card,” she tells South First.
She adds, “My efforts have been focused on obtaining a new ration card because every month, I rely on my neighbours. I get rice from their share and pay them for it.”
Sharing her experience of signing up for schemes she is eligible for, Prasanna says, “While submitting the Praja Palana form to avail the schemes, the only accepted document is the ration card. So, I submitted a separate application seeking a new ration card. When I enquired, the Praja Palana officers informed me that a message would be sent to the provided contact number if and when my form is accepted for any of the schemes.”
However, it has been months — she applied on 29 December last year — and she has not received any message yet. “Does that mean I will not benefit from the schemes?” asks Prasanna.
“I have lost trust now,” she laments, her voice a poignant reminder of the struggles faced by those on the fringes.
“The rule of compulsorily holding a ration card to access these schemes is not a good idea. The real poor people are struggling to avail the Congress guarantees,” she opines.
She adds, “While the previous government did not issue new ration cards, they also did not pass any rule that said family members who do not update their fingerprints would no longer benefit from the family ration card. The schemes of the previous state government did not have such mandatory rules and so, we could easily access pensions, etc.”
Another couple — Jagan and Vijaya — residing near Prasanna’s house, share their experience of accessing the schemes.
“We are a family of four — my husband, myself, and our two daughters. I work as a maid and my husband is a daily-wage labourer. We have had a ration card for nearly 12 years now and have been able to avail of the government’s schemes so far. We benefit from the free power scheme (Gruha Jyothi), which provides us with 200 units of electricity free of charge, resulting in a zero-electricity bill,” Vijaya tells South First.
She adds, “In our neighbourhood, most of the residents work as maids or daily-wage labourers. Those who applied through Praja Palana have been able to access the schemes. Some have even received gas cylinders for ₹500.”
While Jagan and Vijaya have had a fairly smooth experience, more stories echo Prasanna’s experience.
P Renuka (name changed) peels back the layers of her family’s tribulations while speaking to South First.
“We are a family of three girls, and we learnt through the newspaper about the new rule requiring fingerprint updates. Usually, only the person who receives the ration updates their fingerprint. However, when we enquired at the ration shops, we were informed that 29 February was the last date to update everyone’s fingerprints, so we rushed and completed the process on the final day. Unfortunately, one of my daughters could not update her fingerprint as she is married and away,” she explains.
Amidst the chorus of grievances, the voice of daily-wage labourer T Madhuri rises above the clamour. Her family’s dreams of education for their children remain shackled by the lack of resources, as the euphoria of the six guarantees dissipates into disillusionment.
The filtering process, ostensibly to streamline beneficiaries, appears to have left genuine cases stranded on the sidelines.
Madhuri tells South First, “My husband and I are both daily-wage labourers, and we moved to Hyderabad from Bidar five years ago. One of our children (aged eight) is still not enrolled in school because we don’t have the money for it and we are reaching out to government schools to give us admission for the next academic year. We have already enrolled our elder child in a government school. The news about the six guarantees was widely circulated before the elections, but nobody talks about it now.”
She adds, “They have been updating fingerprints since August 2023, but new ration card applicants have been left blind with no information. Our family also stood in line at Praja Palana to submit the form, but without a ration card, we haven’t been able to access any of the schemes. Except for the free bus fare scheme, we are not receiving any other benefits and it is all because of this delay in providing us with a new ration card.”
She finally asks: “Are they reducing the number of real beneficiaries through the new rules of compulsory ration cards and updated fingerprints?”
Beyond the streets, tales of woe reverberate through the labyrinth of MeeSeva centres, where the pursuit of new ration cards encounters closed doors and confused officials. The promise of six guarantees for BPL families declared with great fanfare by the Congress government before the elections, now seems like a distant dream for many waiting in the shadows.
During a visit to a MeeSeva centre in Hyderabad, one of the officials tells South First, “We have no information about the new ration card applications yet there are hundreds of walk-ins enquiring about the new ration cards. However, it is yet to be open for applications.”
When South First reached out to the Minister of Food and Civil Supplies Uttam Kumar Reddy and his team, one of the officials responded that the distribution of new ration cards would occur within the next two or three months.
He chalked up the delay to the fact that there are 89.98 lakh ration card holders in the state. The officials are identifying those who have and have not registered their fingerprints, in order to determine the true number of beneficiaries for the guarantees.
Additionally, through the Praja Palana forms, a majority of people are requesting new ration cards, with 90 percent of them being couples who recently got married, as well as people who have made changes to existing ration cards after the state’s bifurcation.
This delay is part of a policy decision, and meetings are being held to determine which system and software should be adopted to process the new ration cards.
A realistic exercise is being undertaken to address these issues and the announcement regarding the distribution of new ration cards will likely be made after the Parliamentary elections, the official said.
Telangana Food and Civil Supplies Commissioner DS Chauhan offers assurances of an ongoing process, citing instructions from the Central government.
“Yes, there is an update in fingerprint registration for ration card holders, and there are also instructions from the Government of India to do so. It’s an ongoing process. However, not a single name has been deleted in Telangana for that reason,” he tells South First.
“New applicants submitting Praja Palana forms can visit Praja Palana Seva Kendrams, which have been opened in all districts and mandals. Beneficiaries of the Mahalakshmi scheme are receiving messages informing them that they can avail of the schemes as we process the applications,” he adds.
Chauhan also notes, “There are 89.98 lakh ration card holders in the state, and the filtering of applicants for schemes is based on the criteria mentioned in the orders. Having a ration card and applying through Praja Palana is mandatory.”
In Hyderabad, two ration shopkeepers grapple with uncertainty, caught between the fear of reduced beneficiaries and the pressing needs of hundreds of applicants waiting for their cards.
They tell South First, “We are in a dilemma regarding whether the new rule of updating fingerprints may reduce the number of beneficiaries for the schemes of Telangana. When it was announced that 29 February was the last date, many ration card holders asked us if the deadline could be extended. We witnessed at least one member who was unable to update their fingerprint. However, now it has been extended.”
They explain: “The issue primarily affects new ration card applicants, as hundreds of them are waiting for their applications to be processed. Additionally, even without guarantees, they can still access rice and dal at a lower price.”
(Edited by Kamna Revanoor)
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