Telangana govt to issue BPL, APL ration cards: Minister Uttam

Hyderabad: The Telangana government is considering issuing ration cards in two categories: Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL).

This was revealed by Minister for Civil Supplies and Irrigation, N Uttam Kumar Reddy, during an informal interaction with journalists at the Assembly on Thursday, March 13.

The proposal involves issuing BPL cards to families below the poverty line and APL cards to those above it. The state is exploring the possibility of distributing BPL cards in a tricolor format and APL cards in green.

Currently, the process of selecting a company to manufacture these cards is underway, with tenders being called. The new ration cards are expected to be issued by April, he said.

Reddy noted that the state already has 2.8 crore ration card beneficiaries and plans to issue smart cards to both new and existing cardholders. In the past, pink cards were replaced with green cards, and white cards with tricolor cards.