Hyderabad: Telangana crossed the milestone of one crore white ration cards after issuing 1.51 lakh new cards in a month. The total now stands at 1,01,22,324, compared with 99,70,832 in September. The government hailed this as a record.
Beneficiaries to receive Dasara gift
Families who secured new cards will join the beneficiary list from October. As part of the Dasara arrangements, the government will supply them with fine rice.
When Chief Minister Revanth Reddy took office, 2.81 crore people held benefits under white ration cards. That number has since risen to 3.25 crore. Officials linked the increase to the Congress government’s six guarantees, one of which covers ration card distribution.
At the time of the government change, Telangana had 89,95,282 ration cards covering 2.81 crore beneficiaries. Since then, nearly 18 lakh people applied for fresh cards.
Card approvals gained momentum in 2025
The government began the selection process on Republic Day this year. By May-end, it had approved 2,03,156 cards. On July 25, officials launched a state-wide distribution drive. The campaign ran for 15 days until Independence Day. Later, the government announced that approvals would continue without deadlines.
Because ration cards serve as proof for multiple welfare schemes — including Aarogyasri, Gruhajyothi, and subsidised LPG cylinders — the Civil Supplies Department moved faster. Between August 15 and September 15, the state sanctioned 1,51,492 new cards.
11.27 lakh new cards issued so far
Of the 18 lakh applications, the government cleared 11.27 lakh. Officials expect about 2.5 lakh more families to receive cards soon. They kept pending applications with missing documents, errors, or technical issues.
Civil Supplies Commissioner D.S. Chauhan told Andhra Jyothi that the government would give every eligible family a white ration card. He said officials review progress regularly at the mandal and district levels. He added that a state-level IT cell now tracks card approval and distribution.
According to him, nearly 14 lakh families qualified for new cards. He urged households that have not yet applied to use Mee-Seva centres to file applications.
