Hyderabad: Free rice distribution faces tech hiccups across State

Hyderabad: The much-hyped 12-kg free rice distribution programme for poor launched on Friday was hit by technical glitches in Telangana.

Beneficiaries were seen in serpentine queues in front of fair price shops across the State. Government also disappointed beneficiaries who came to shops to get Rs 1,200 with rice as promised by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. Govt says money will be deposited online.

In view of lockdown which impacted lakhs of poor livelihood, the State government had announced distribution of 12 kg rice to each person and Rs 1,200 cash for basic needs to every family holding white ration card.

The rice distribution has been launched in more than 17,000 fair price shops to benefit 87 lakh white ration card holders covering more than 2 crore people.

Even before the shops opened, the beneficiaries made a beeline in front of the sale counters to avail the benefit. With heavy load on the computer systems installed at the distribution points due to flood of people, the central data system collapsed. Alert Civil Supplies authorities took the help of State IT department and resumed the distribution in the afternoon.

State Civil Supplies Corporation Chairman M Srinivas Reddy said that IT Secretary Jayesh Ranjan took measures to ensure that no technical snag in the functioning of electronic peripherals used in the rice distribution. He said that all the fair price shops will be opened from 7 am to 7 pm and supply rice to all the needy. Meanwhile, women who came to the shops also demanded for Rs 1,200 cash benefit and the incidents of minor skirmishes between the distributers and beneficiaries also took place for money.

The authorities said that the cash benefit will be deposited in the bank accounts of the card holders directly in one or two days. Despite people came in big number, necessary safety measures mainly sanitisers and social distancing were taken at all shops. Police forces were also deployed to avoid law and order problem in the crisis time.