Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will launch the statewide distribution of new smart ration cards on Independence Day at Sangareddy town, marking a major expansion of the state’s food-security network, Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said on Tuesday, August 11.
Reviewing preparations for the programme with senior officials including the Commissioner of Civil Supplies M Stephen Raveendra and Civil Supplies Corporation Additional Director Rohit Singh, he said the smart ration card distribution by the Chief Minister at Sangareddy would be followed by simultaneous programmes at all 33 district headquarters, an official release said.
The Minister said Telangana now has 1.06 crore ration cards covering 3.43 crore beneficiaries, with every eligible beneficiary entitled to six kg of fine rice free of cost every month.
He directed the Civil Supplies Department and district administrations to make elaborate arrangements for the August 15 rollout and ensure that beneficiaries face no inconvenience.
Uttam Kumar Reddy further said the state spends about Rs 14,000 crore annually on ration rice, apart from nearly Rs 20,000 crore on paddy procurement.
Since January 26, 2025, the Telangana government has issued 16,32,810 new Food Security Cards. These cards cover 61,08,544 beneficiaries. As of August this year, the state has a total of 1.6 crore Food Security Cards. Together, these cards provide food-security coverage to 3.43 crore beneficiaries.
The introduction of smart ration cards will further strengthen transparency, efficiency and convenience in the public distribution system, he added.
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