Smart Rice Card Distribution in Andhra Pradesh Faces Confusion as Depots Take Over

Uncertainty continues over the distribution of smart rice cards in Andhra Pradesh as officials shift the process from secretariats to ration depots. The government has completed printing the digital smart rice cards and supplied them to depots in full. Dealers will begin distribution on Monday, and the process will continue until September 15, District Civil Supplies Officer V. Bhaskar confirmed.

The cards reached the district in the third week of August. Initially, they were issued through secretariats before some were handed out at depots. So far, 1,76,100 cards—34 percent of the total 5,17,155—have been distributed. Of these, 1,28,766 were given through secretariats and 47,334 through depots. While four rural mandals are ahead in distribution, the city is lagging. The remaining 3,41,055 cards have now been sent to depots.

The process has faced hurdles due to changes in government instructions. Village Revenue Officers (VROs) were initially asked to issue the cards after registering cardholders’ details online. VROs opposed the order, citing heavy workloads from surveys and other duties.

Allegations also surfaced that some secretariats issued cards arbitrarily under higher instructions. Critics noted that, unlike earlier rice cards, the new smart rice cards require fingerprint authentication, making the process slower.

Officials have now decided that all smart rice cards will be distributed only through depots. But this decision comes with its own challenges. Mobile Dispensing Units (MDUs), introduced four years ago, had reduced direct interaction between dealers and cardholders.

Many depots were relocated during that period. After MDUs were scrapped three months ago, cardholders began collecting goods from whichever depot was accessible, instead of their mapped depots. Dealers say this mismatch may complicate the current smart card distribution.

Problems are already surfacing on the ground. On Saturday, several cardholders waiting at a depot in Arilova grew angry after learning that the smart cards had not yet arrived. Dealers fear that similar tensions may rise in other depots if delays continue.