In keeping with Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy's announcement on March 22 that free ration would be supplied to the poor, the Andhra Pradesh government has started to supply free food to the white ration card holders from today - this will be till April 15 - in view of the nationwide lockdown effected to check the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Initially it was proposed that the ration be distributed to the card holders directly from April 1 through the village volunteers. However given the current situation the government decided to postpone that and continue with the regular mode of supply through the PDS dealer shops.
However, the card holders will not be subject to biometric verification at the PDS shops - the process has been suspended in view of the current situation. Instead, the card holders will receive rice and tur dal through village volunteers stationed at the shops. The rations will be distributed by maintaining appropriate social distancing at the shops.
The process will be that the Village Revenue Secretary, and the village and ward volunteers will put their fingerprints on the E-POS machines and distribute the rations. A manual register will be set up for the cardholders to sign. If they cannot sign, the volunteers will take their fingerprints and their photos as proof.
A list of cardholders will also be placed at the PDS dealers' shops.