# Telangana food net covers 3.42 crore, or 85% of state 2026-08-20T23:48:01+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Telangana's food security network now covers 3.42 crore people, nearly 85% of the state population, through 1.06 crore ration cards, civil supplies minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said on Thursday. Launching smart ration card distribution in Suryapet, he said the government had added 16.5 lakh new cards, bringing 62 lakh additional beneficiaries into the system. Reddy said the government is supplying six kg of fine rice free per person every month, replacing coarse rice under the public distribution system. To link food security with farmers, the government is promoting fine paddy cultivation by offering a Rs 500 per quintal bonus. The procured grain is processed into fine rice and supplied to ration card holders, as well as to government schools, hostels and Anganwadi centres. Ration card issuance will be a continuous process, and eligible families left out can apply for inclusion after verification, the minister added. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Telangana's food security expansion is part of a larger political push as the state gears up for local body elections. The Congress government, which came to power in December 2023, had promised universal ration coverage during its campaign. By switching from coarse to fine rice, the state is bearing an additional Rs 2,000-crore annual subsidy. The challenge will be ensuring procurement matches demand: Telangana produced about 85 lakh tonnes of paddy last year, and the fine rice requirement for the PDS could absorb roughly a third of that. Watch for the next census or socio-economic survey to test the 85% coverage claim against actual eligibility. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com leads with government's official figure and quotes minister verbatim, no opposing or independent assessment This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Congress, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Public Distribution System, Suryapet, Telangana Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/telangana-food-net-covers-3-42-crore-or-85-of-state/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/telangana-food-net-covers-3-42-crore-or-85-of-state/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/