No pending ration card applications in State: Minister Ponnam

Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Wednesday claimed that there were no pending applications for ration cards in the State, attributing it to the State government’s welfare measures and timely issuance of eligible cards after assuming office.

Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on the sidelines of face-to-face interaction with the public to address grievances, Mr. Prabhakar said thousands of applications for ration cards were received in the past, but no fresh applications had been received now. He said only a few representations relating to land disputes and new pensions were being submitted.

Stating that applications for new pensions had been received, he said the government had already sanctioned two lakh new pensions and the process of selecting beneficiaries would be completed shortly.

Referring to housing in the State capital, Mr. Prabhakar said a large number of applications had been received from Hyderabad and the government was preparing plans to construct one lakh new houses in the city.

He urged people facing difficulties in securing services from government departments to approach Gandhi Bhavan, assuring them that ministers would help resolve their grievances. He thanked the TPCC leadership and Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for initiating the public interaction programme at Gandhi Bhavan.

On the issue of fertiliser availability, Mr. Prabhakar accused the BJP-led Union government of discriminating against Telangana in the allocation of urea. “If sufficient fertilisers are not supplied, we will intensify our fight against the Centre,” he said.

Mr. Prabhakar demanded that the entire fertiliser production from the Ramagundam plant be allocated to Telangana and urged BJP MPs from the State to take responsibility for ensuring adequate fertiliser supplies. He also alleged that misinformation was being spread to create hurdles in fertiliser distribution in the State.