Metro India News | AMARAVATI

The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly’s Petitions Committee has recommended delinking the issuance of NTR Vaidya Seva health cards from white ration cards, in a move aimed at curbing the large-scale smuggling and misuse of subsidised rice. Committee Chairman and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, K. Raghurama Krishna Raju, announced that formal proposals in this regard will soon be submitted to the state government.

Addressing the media alongside committee members—Anakapalle MLA Konathala Ramakrishna and Visakhapatnam North MLA P. Vishnu Kumar Raju—at his chamber in the Assembly premises on Tuesday, Raghurama Krishna Raju emphasized that the over-reliance on white ration cards as a universal eligibility criterion for welfare schemes has inadvertently led to systemic exploitation.

“When white ration cards are used as the sole basis for government schemes like NTR Vaidya Seva, many people who are not genuinely in need are obtaining these cards solely to benefit from other schemes, leading to the misuse and smuggling of ration rice,” he said. He noted that even top officials from relevant departments have acknowledged that de-linking the issuance of NTR Vaidya Seva cards from ration cards could yield better results in preventing misuse.

The Petitions Committee believes this reform could significantly enhance the efficiency and integrity of welfare distribution. According to the Deputy Speaker, Andhra Pradesh currently has around 1.70 crore BPL (Below Poverty Line) families, of which 1.48 crore families hold white ration cards. The government spends an estimated Rs.5,100 crore annually on the distribution of subsidised rice alone, without requiring any contribution from the beneficiaries.