WAITING WITH HOPE IN THEIR MINDS: Ration cardholders sit in rapt attention as an official goes through the procedures of verifying their documents for re-issuance of ration cards in Hyderabad. - Photo: Satish H.

HYDERABAD: A laborious sifting process is on to separate the wheat from chaff. The issuance of new digitised white ration cards is slow with authorities introducing multiple enquiries and checks to weed out the undeserving candidates.

Many white ration cards have been converted to pink as either the cardholders were found to be bogus or no longer below the poverty line.

The Civil Supplies Department had chosen Gaddiannaram Municipality as a precursor to the exercise in the twin cities. Out of 1,100 applications for the much sought after white ration cards received from June 26, 268 have been cleared, said S. Khursheed Ali, District Supplies Officer. On the other hand, out of 4,810 applications for pink ration cards, 4,714 were cleared.

Officials perusing documents submitted by applicants at Bhagyasree Function Hall in Dilsukhnagar take everything into consideration, from electricity bills to the applicant's appearance. Indeed appearances are important, an official says, pointing at an applicant, "He's wearing a costly wrist watch, how can he be eligible?"

The broad consideration for all white card applicants is that their annual income should not exceed Rs. 24,000. Applicants have to bear the burden of proof in many ways — they must be daily wage earners, not own a vehicle, their children must not study in private schools, they must not own a television and so on.

30 lakh white cards

Elaborate crosschecking methods, officials point out, are imperative as there are hordes of bogus white cardholders enjoying benefits at the cost of genuine applicants. Officials contend that the previous Government had issued a staggering 30 lakh white cards, close to four lakh in Hyderabad alone, though many were ineligible. B. Ramesh's chances of getting a white card appear slim because he pays a monthly rent of Rs. 750. The official says, "How can you claim to be below poverty line if you pay rent more than Rs. 500 per month?" Sheikh Hussein's application was rejected outright because he lived in a `pucca' house and even owned a colour television.

Applicants say none of these criteria is mentioned in the declaration form that they have to fill in. Also because the form is in English, many do not understand the requirements. Another applicant says his white ration card hangs in balance because his wife, a maidservant, gets a `steady income' of Rs. 250 per month, and they fall into the double income household category.

But officials insist that they do not issue applications simply through elimination. "We have issued 17 white ration cards to those who earlier had pink cards. We are genuinely interested in helping the deserving," says an official.

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