Hyderabad: Civil supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Thursday said the Congress government deserved full credit for the historic and transformational rollout of the ‘sanna biyyam’ (free fine rice distribution scheme), calling it a landmark moment in India’s welfare history. He said nearly 3.1 crore people, around 84 per cent of Telangana’s population, would benefit from the scheme.Dismissing criticism by the BJP and the BRS, he clarified that the Centre was providing only 5 kg of coarse rice in limited quantities, while it was the Congress government that was giving 6 kg of fine rice per beneficiary in Telangana by spending over ₹13,000 crore a year.Addressing a video conference from Jala Soudha with MPs, MLCs, MLAs, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the scheme was being implemented across the state by the civil supplies department and was undoubtedly a Congress government initiative. He said it was misleading to give credit to the Centre, as it was giving money only for coarse rice. But the fine rice, which is of higher quality and preferred by families, was being procured and distributed by the state government.The minister said this was a matter of great pride and a true example of social justice. 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.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 public distribution. With the expansion of beneficiaries, this cost would increase by nearly ₹2,858 crore, taking Telangana’s share to ₹8,033 crore. He said the government was fully prepared to bear this burden to ensure food security for all.To manage this scale, the government had started physical verification of new ration card applications. 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 said that Telangana had 89.73 lakh white ration cards at the time of state formation. In the ten years of BRS rule, only 49,479 net new cards were issued. There was no serious effort to add new members to existing cards. 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.Uttam Kumar Reddy denied Opposition claims of a shortage of fine rice. He urged Congress leaders to take this message to every household, dine at the homes of poor beneficiaries, and counter the misinformation campaign being run by BRS leaders.Uttam Kumar Reddy also announced that Telangana had achieved a 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. This brought the total sown area to 123.27 lakh acres and total production to 281 lakh metric tonnes — the highest ever in the history of Telangana or even undivided Andhra Pradesh.He said this achievement was even more notable considering the Kaleshwaram project is currently not operational.
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