Food For Thought… Centre okays 3-mth ration balm for beneficiaries to beat the heat

Hyderabad: Considering the rising summer temperatures, the Central Government has decided to distribute ration rice for April, May, and June 2026 in advance, during April itself.

As part of the decision, ration card beneficiaries in Telangana will receive 18 kilograms of fine rice per person at one time, providing significant relief, particularly to elderly people and women.The initiative aims to reduce the burden on beneficiaries who would otherwise have to visit ration shops every month and stand in long queues in the scorching summer heat.

Following the Centre’s decision, officials of the Civil Supplies Department of Telangana State have begun making necessary arrangements to ensure smooth distribution without technical or supply disruptions.

Temperatures have already begun rising, and the Meteorological Department has warned that the heat may intensify further in the coming days. Considering these forecasts and the health and safety of beneficiaries, the government has decided to distribute rice in advance.

The move is expected to benefit lakhs of ration card holders in the state. Unlike several other states, Telangana provides six kilograms of high-quality fine rice per beneficiary every month. If the three-month quota is distributed together as per the Centre’s suggestion, each beneficiary will receive 18 kilograms of rice at once.

This will particularly help people travelling during summer vacations or those who find it difficult to step out frequently due to the intense heat, ensuring that there is no shortage of food grains at home.

However, the Civil Supplies Department is carefully reviewing storage and transportation arrangements required for distributing such a large quantity of rice at one time.

Officials are also examining measures to avoid the difficulties experienced during a similar exercise last year, when three months’ ration was distributed together during the monsoon season. At that time, ration dealers faced challenges due to limited storage space in fair price shops.

Another issue involves the biometric e-POS system. Since beneficiaries must authenticate their fingerprints for each month’s quota separately, they may need to verify their fingerprints three times. If server issues occur, it could take up to half an hour to complete the process for a single card, leading to crowding at shops.

To address these challenges, authorities are exploring software updates and alternative technical solutions to ensure faster transactions.

Despite the logistical hurdles, the government believes that the initiative will reduce transportation costs and ease the workload on porters while providing greater convenience to beneficiaries.

Chanda Santhosh, a ration dealer in Ramagundam (No. 9703914265), said, “This will be beneficial for the cardholders. However, we are facing difficulties with storage. Still, for the convenience of the ration recipients, we are supporting the distribution.

There are online issues when distributing ration for three months. The government should also ensure that fingerprints are taken only once instead of three times, which would make distribution faster. It would be very good if this method is followed even during the rainy season. We will continue to cooperate with the government in distributing ration.”

Gouda Sathishkumar, a resident of Godavarikhani, said, “The decision to provide three months’ ration at once is good. During the summer, we will not have to worry about falling ill or suffering from heatstroke. Steps should be taken to ensure that fingerprints are recorded and rice is distributed simultaneously. In the past, there were severe delays because fingerprints had to be taken from the cardholder three times. Now, we should ensure that such problems do not occur.”