71 Chandranna village malls to come up soon

Amaravati: The State government is contemplating to issue separate cards for Public Distribution System (PDS) and health purpose. Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat on Monday, Minister for Civil Supplies P Pulla Rao said the State government was considering the proposal to issue separate cards for medical needs under different schemes like NTR Vidyaseva instead of white ration cards.  

He said the demand for the white ration cards was increasing day by day as it was linked to multiple benefits. “If the white ration cards are confined only for PDS purpose, the demand may decrease,” he opined.

At present, there are 1.44 crore ration cards in the State and the government would give another 2.42 lakh new ration cards, the Minister said.  He said that 71 new Chandranna village malls would be launched soon and 83 village malls were already functioning.