Telangana Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy having lunch with a beneficiary’s family that received fine rice, a scheme started by the Telangana government.
| Photo Credit: By Arrangement
Telangana Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cannot claim its contribution to the fine rice scheme as the Centre was only providing coarse rice and that too in limited quantities, while the Congress government in the State was giving fine rice – through Public Distribution System (PDS) – a scheme launched for the first time in India.
In response to the BJP’s claims that the Central government was also contributing to the scheme, he clarified that the Centre was providing only 5 kg of coarse rice to a limited number of beneficiaries, while the Telangana government was giving 6 kg of fine rice per beneficiary [to 89.9 lakh families] by spending over ₹ 13,000 crore a year.
The fine rice, which is of higher quality and preferred by families, is being procured and distributed entirely by the State government. The Minister said this was a matter of great pride, and no welfare scheme in independent India has reached such a large section of the population. He added that the decision to distribute fine rice was taken after several studies revealed that the coarse variety given earlier was either left unused or sold in the black market. He said this programme was historic in scale and spirit, and described it as a transformational shift in welfare delivery.
Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy informed that the government would distribute 30 lakh metric tonnes of fine rice every year and the cost of this initiative would be around ₹13,523 crore annually. At present, the Centre and State together spend ₹10,665 crore on PDS rice. With the expansion of beneficiaries, this cost would increase by nearly ₹2,858 crore, taking the State’s share to ₹8,033 crore.
The Minister said the government was fully prepared to bear this burden to ensure food security for all. As many as 3.10 crore people are set to benefit from the scheme.
To manage this scale, the government has already started physical verification of new ration card applications. District collectors have been directed to ensure that no eligible family is left out. A Tricolour Card will be issued to families below the poverty line, while those above the poverty line will receive a Green Card.
The Minister pointed out that Telangana had 89.73 lakh white ration cards at the time of State formation. In the ten years of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) rule, only 49,479 new cards were issued. Under the Congress government, close to 30 lakh new applications have already been received and are under process. Once verified, these new cards will raise the number of beneficiaries to 3.10 crore.
Responding to opposition claims of shortage, Mr. Reddy said there would be no shortage of fine rice in the State, even with increased consumption and cardholders. He revealed that the State had achieved record paddy production in 2024–25. During the Vanakalam (Kharif) season, paddy was cultivated on 66.78 lakh acres, yielding 153.5 lakh metric tonnes. In the Yasangi (Rabi) season, cultivation was done on 56.49 lakh acres, and production reached 127.5 lakh metric tonnes.
Published – April 11, 2025 01:36 pm IST
