Hyderabad: The Telangana government has intensified its drive to eliminate ineligible ration cardholders, with authorities identifying over 76,000 beneficiaries deemed unqualified for subsidised provisions. This comes as part of an ongoing review launched following the change in administration, aimed at ensuring welfare schemes reach only genuine recipients.
The Civil Supplies Department, after a six-month-long field-level verification process, found that 76,842 cardholders had not availed ration supplies during the review period. These names were categorised as ineligible based on reports submitted by revenue officials at the mandal level. A total of 1,62,773 suspect ration cards were examined, of which 96,240 were marked for detailed scrutiny, and over 60% were ultimately found ineligible.
Many of the ineligible individuals were found to be deceased, had migrated to other areas, or were registered under multiple ration cards. The government has directed district collectors to initiate the process of deleting these names from the official list of beneficiaries. The highest number of ineligible cardholders were reported in Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Nalgonda, and Medchal districts.
Authorities clarified that the ineligible individuals will no longer be entitled to subsidised food grains. The Civil Supplies Department has reiterated its commitment to maintaining the integrity of the Public Distribution System and ensuring that benefits are extended only to deserving citizens.