Union Deletes 1.40 Lakh Ration Cards in Telangana as Part of Nationwide Cleanup Drive
The central government has removed thousands of ration cards in Telangana during a nationwide verification drive aimed at eliminating ineligible beneficiaries and ensuring transparent food distribution through the public distribution system.
Union deletes ration cards in nationwide verification
The central government has issued an alert to ration card holders after announcing the removal of a large number of ineligible ration cards across the country. The move is part of a nationwide effort to eliminate irregularities and ensure that food benefits reach only eligible beneficiaries.
As part of this verification exercise around 1.40 lakh ration cards have been cancelled in Telangana. The update was officially shared in Parliament by the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs Food and Public Distribution.
Drive aimed at improving transparency
Officials said the removal of ineligible cards is intended to strengthen transparency and efficiency in the public distribution system. The government has also introduced digital monitoring measures to ensure that food grains reach the rightful recipients without misuse.
Across the country electronic point of sale devices have been installed at more than 5.51 lakh ration shops. These devices enable Aadhaar based biometric authentication before food grains are issued to beneficiaries.
According to the ministry this technology has significantly reduced irregularities in ration distribution.
Illegal ration cards removed across India
The central government stated that a total of 41.41 lakh irregular ration cards have been identified and removed across different states in the country.
Among the states Andhra Pradesh recorded the lowest number of irregular cards with only 102 cancellations. Rajasthan reported the highest number with more than six lakh ineligible cards which have now been removed from the system.
Ration card numbers rise in Telangana
Despite the removal of ineligible cards the number of ration cards in Telangana has increased in recent years. Officials said that after the current state government came to power more than fifteen lakh new ration cards were issued to eligible families.
At present the state has about 17348 ration shops through which food supplies are distributed to nearly 1.05 crore ration cards every month.
Categories of ration cards in the state
Government data shows that Telangana currently has several categories of ration cards under the public distribution system.
Food security cards account for 9936073 beneficiaries while Antyodaya Anna Yojana cards total about 566660. Another category known as Annapurna cards has around 5146 beneficiaries.
Distribution across major districts
Statistics reveal that the highest concentration of ration cards is located in the Greater Hyderabad region.
Hyderabad district alone has around 8.39 lakh ration cards served through 936 ration shops. Rangareddy district has about 6.53 lakh cards across 588 shops while Medchal Malkajgiri has nearly 6.41 lakh cards distributed through 655 ration outlets.
In contrast Mulugu district has the lowest number with about 1.02 lakh ration cards while Narayanpet district has around 1.69 lakh cards according to the Civil Supplies Department.
