Hyderabad: Over 1Lakh ration card applications pending

Rajendranagar: Amid the fallout between the State and the Central governments over several issues in the past few years, the issue of Food Security Cards (FSC) remains unsolved as lakhs of applications remain still pending since a year at local civil supplies offices and DSO office in Rangareddy district.

The Food Security Card or Food Security Ration Card is a legal document that entitles the cardholders to obtain the commodities (rice, sugar, fertilizers, kerosene, LPG) at very subsidized costs in Telangana.

It is said that a stalemate between the State and the Centre over the issue of implementing 'One Nation One Ration (ONOR)' programme is the primary reason behind the inordinate delay.

According to the official statistics, out of a total 1,39,675 applications received since 2016 around 1,00,588 are still pending at different levels in the district.

The statistics clearly shows that, after receiving 43,773 applications in 2016, the number has gradually plunged down year after year in the districts.

The year 2016 saw 13,859 approvals and 3,882 rejections while in 2017 the applications narrowed down to 8,028 out of which 2,346 applications were approved. This number of applications rises in 2018 with a total of 39,121 applications out of which only 11,100 please were cleared. And in 2019 out of 32,167 applications 3,241 were approved and 475 rejected.

However, despite receiving 14,365 applications in 2020, not a single one has been approved presumably due to Coronavirus pandemic. All the applications remained pending at several levels like inspector, MRO/ASO and DSO. The present year saw a total of 2,234 applications received so far and interestingly six have been rejected without witnessing a single approval.

Interestingly, CSO Saroornagar Circle 3 is on the top of the list with 65,626 applications received during the last four years while Uppal, Rajendranagar, Balanagar, Shabad are the other circles with the least number of applications post reorganisation of districts.

The process of streamlining the ration distribution system in the country remains incomplete though the union government formulated "One Nation One Ration (ONOR)" programme in 2019.

The scheme was launched with an aim to ensure the beneficiaries, especially the migrant families get their ration across the country from any of the fair price shops (FPSs) they found near them while travelling.