Do Andhra Pardesh ration cards carry Jesus Christ's image?

According to the government, the dealer in East Godavari district had been using different images on ration cards while printing them. For example, in 2016 the dealer had printed ration cards with Satya Saibaba on it.

After Jerusalem’ ad on bus tickets for Tirumala devotees sparked a row, a ration card with Jesus Christ’s photo printed on it has gone viral on the social media. Social media users claimed that it is from Andhra Pradesh.

India Today TV spoke to P Arun Babu, Director of Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs, Food & Civil Supplies Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh on this issue. Arun Babu said that it indeed was from East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. "One dealer was printing it on his own, for his own identification purpose. This ration card is not printed by the state government. It is being printed by one dealer to be used in a particular village only."

According to the department, the dealer in East Godavari district had been using different images on ration cards while printing them. For example, in 2016 the dealer had printed ration cards with Satya Saibaba on it. In 2017 and 2018, it was Lord Venkateshwara whose image adorned the ration card. And this year it was Jesus Christ.

In Andhra Pradesh, the ration card system is digitised and is based on Aadhar identification. The ration cards issued in the last few years have former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s photo on it along with a photo of the beneficiaries, their personal details including annual income, cylinder connections and a bar code on the card itself which is laminated to make it tamper-proof. At present, the Andhra Pradesh government is conducting surveys to find out the number of families that need this government aide. At the same time, ration card designs are still being finalised for making new ration cards for the people.

About the viral photo of ration card, Arun Babu added, "We have asked the dealer to immediately stop printing these ration cards" which are now catching attention on the social media.

Read | Andhra girl reunites with parents after 12 years through Facebook. All thanks to her employer

Read | Snake stops play in Ranji Trophy: Andhra vs Vidarbha has an intruder

Watch | The Long Story: How drive for Aadhaar is affecting poor