Smart Ration Cards Launched in AP: Critics Ask Chandrababu, “What’s Smart About Them?”

The TDP-led NDA government is under fire once again for its latest move to distribute ‘smart’ ration cards in Andhra Pradesh.

Opposition parties, including the YSRCP, have questioned what exactly is “smart” about the new cards. They accuse the Chandrababu Naidu government of misleading people by merely reducing the card size and branding it as ‘smart’, pointing out the lack of clarity on the technology used in the new version.

The government is also being criticized for spending ₹8 crore on cards that are no different in utility from the old ones.

Distribution will begin on August 25 for over 1.45 crore beneficiaries in four phases. Displaying the card to mediapersons, Civil Supplies, Food & Consumer Affairs Minister Nadendla Manohar said the cards are equipped with QR codes that will allow beneficiaries to procure rice from any fair price shop across the State. He claimed the new system will help track commodity distribution, improve logistics, and integrate data on a single platform for faster delivery.

While only the beneficiary’s name is printed on the front, as against the old ration card which had the family photo, family details appear on the back—though only three names can be listed, a detail that has drawn criticism and raised concerns.

Even as the TDP government promotes the ‘smart’ ration card, it is worth noting that the Centre has already introduced the ‘one nation, one ration card’ initiative. This scheme allows beneficiaries to draw their entitled food grains from any fair price shop in the country using their existing ration card, ensuring food security for internal migrants. It functions through nationwide portability, integrating PDS portals with Aadhaar seeding and biometric authentication.

Given that the Centre has already centralized the system to ensure access at any FPS, questions arise over the rationale behind the TDP government spending crores on printing and distributing new ‘smart’ cards.

Observers argue the move is a strategic cover-up to mask the fact that the State government has largely restricted supplies to subsidized rice, while beneficiaries are entitled to 18 essential commodities such as daal, palm oil, and wheat flour.

The TDP government has also been accused of launching such schemes mainly to benefit officials through commissions, leaving beneficiaries to wonder what real advantage the ‘smart’ ration card offers them.