Amaravati, March 4, 2025 – Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar informed the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly that the government is replacing traditional ration cards with “Rice Cards” to prevent their misuse as certificates. He clarified that ration cards are issued based on eligibility and that income tax payers’ details have been shared with the central government. His remarks were in response to questions from BJP MLA Vishnukumar Raju and TDP MLA Buchaiah Chowdary regarding white ration cards.
The minister stated that rice card services were temporarily halted due to the e-KYC process. Andhra Pradesh has 1.94 crore ration cards benefiting 4.26 crore people, including taxi owners. He assured that name removals from ration cards can be handled by district Joint Collectors. The government plans to introduce new QR code-enabled ration cards, similar to credit cards, though their launch has been delayed beyond the initial February timeline.
