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Displaced persons’ lack of or limited access to forest produce, coupled with the lack
of a stable income, poses a serious food security problem. 312 The government’s
targeted public distribution scheme (TPDS) is meant to ensure the distribution of
food grains at subsidized rates to the poor. Under the scheme, the state
governments (including the Andhra Pradesh government) are responsible for issuing
ration cards to villagers who are below the poverty line to enable them to make use
of the scheme. Ration card holders can purchase food grains from ration shops at
subsidized rates.
Many displaced persons from Khammam and Warangal districts complained that
their ration card applications were not processed because the district collector
refused permission:
We gave our photographs for a ration card one year ago but it has not
yet been issued. The ration officer said that ration cards will be issued
only after permission is given by the district collector. 313
The sub-collector of Khammam district explained the Andhra Pradesh government’s
policy:
[T]he stated policy is not to give ration cards. Ration cards—the state
government is giving the subsidy—why should our state subsidize
people coming from another state?… There is also a law and order, and
security issue. Not many [displaced persons] are really displaced.
There are many Naxal elements. Under the guise of displacement they
[displaced persons] are helping Naxalites. So we do not want to
encourage it [settling in Andhra Pradesh]. 314
312 Human Rights Watch group interviews with numerous IDPs from different villages in Dantewada and Bijapur districts.
villages W1, W2, W3, W4, W5, W6, W7, K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, Kothooru, K7, K8, K9, K10, and K11, Warangal and Khammam districts,
November 29-December 8, 2007.
313 Human Rights Watch interview with Dilip (pseudonym), IDP from Barrem, village W4, Warangal district, November 30, 2007;
group interviews with numerous IDPs from different villages in Dantewada and Bijapur districts, villages K2, K5, and K10,
Khammam district, December 2-7, 2007.
314 Human Rights Watch interview with K. Bhaskar, December 7, 2007.
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Human Rights Watch July 2008