Telangana To Distribute Free Fine Grain Rice To 2.84 Crore Beneficiaries from April 1

Telangana Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy has announced that the state will begin distributing fine grain rice to ration card holders starting April 1. The initiative will be officially launched by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at a public meeting in Huzurnagar on March 30 at 5 PM, coinciding with the Ugadi festival.

Addressing the media in Hyderabad on March 28, Reddy stated that approximately 80 to 84 percent of Telangana's population will benefit from the scheme, receiving 6 kg of fine grain rice per person under a ration card. He described the initiative as a pioneering effort in India, aimed at supporting citizens living below the poverty line.

Currently, 2.84 crore beneficiaries across 90 lakh ration cards will avail of the free rice scheme. Additionally, the state government plans to issue 30 lakh new ration cards, allowing more beneficiaries to access the scheme once approved. With these additions, the total number of ration cards in Telangana will rise to around 1 crore, covering a population of 3.1 crore.

The fine grain rice scheme has a total budget of ₹13,523 crore, with ₹5,480 crore contributed by the Central government and ₹8,033 crore funded by the state government. The upgraded initiative will also impose an additional financial burden of ₹2,800 crore on the state exchequer.