Civic Mail Top News

AIMIM pushes for expanded coverage of Food Security, Health cards

Listen to Story
Asaduddin Owaisi Questions HYDRAA Demolitions

Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has called for revamping the eligibility criteria and modalities for issue of new Food Security Cards(FSC) and Health Cards in Telangana State. In a detailed memorandum submitted to the cabinet sub-committee, the party highlighted the need for revising the income-based criteria and land ceiling limits for FSC eligibility, given the significant inflation and changes in land ownership patterns since the last revisions in 2014.

“It is imperative that the cabinet sub committee considers revising the income based criteria for the eligibility for Food Security Cards. It is also to be pointed out that last time the revision in the eligibility criteria was done in 2014, when the thresholds were increased from Rs 60,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh for rural areas and from Rs 75,000 to Rs 2 lakh for urban areas. Since then 10 years have passed with inflation rendering the current thresholds insufficient,” highlighted AIMIM Chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi.

Likewise the current land ceiling limit for eligibility was last revised in 2014, when it was increased from 2.4 acres to 3.5 acres wetland and from 5 acres to 7.5 acres for dry land. As land ownership is not a binding or sole determinant for eligibility given that it is also constrained by income-based criteria and considering that land ownership has undergone further fragmentation over the years, the cabinet sub-committee may opt to keep the land ownership criteria unchanged. Alternatively, a marginal increase could be considered after thorough consultation with relevant stakeholders, ensuring that the criteria continue to reflect current landholding patterns and realities, added the note from AIMIM.

Include single women, urban artisans and craftsmen

With regard to Antyodaya Anna Yojana FS Card, although the present coverage is fairly comprehensive “some additional vulnerable groups should be considered for inclusion, these include Households affected by chronic illness, Single Women headed households and Urban artisans and craftsmen,” said AIMIM party.

Further for the Annapurna FS Card, it is recommended that the age requirement be lowered from 65 to 60 years, acknowledging that not all elderly individuals follow a fixed retirement schedule. This is particularly true for those in labour- intensive, unorganised sectors, where many are forced to withdraw from paid labour before reaching 65 years of age because of the physically demanding work, added AIMIM in the note. “Lowering the age requirement would help expand welfare coverage and provide much-needed support to a larger segment of the elderly population in the state”, opined Hyderabad MP.

It is pertinent to be noted that earlier the Cabinet sub-committee was constituted to examine and recommend the eligibility criteria for issuing new ration cards. Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy leads the sub-committee which has Medical and Health minister Damodar Raja Narasimha and Revenue MInister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy as its members.