CHENNAI: State government on Friday informed that 2 lakh people have applied for new ration cards.

According to the Food and Consumer Protection department, around 2.40 lakh people across the State have applied for new ration cards so far, following the implementation of welfare schemes such as Kalaignar Mahalir Urimai Thogai.

"As the issuance of new ration cards was stopped from last July, the applications of around 2.40 lakh people will be considered and the process of issuing new cards will commence after June 4," officials said.

As on today, there are a total of 2,24,19,359 ration cards active in Tamil Nadu.

Along with getting commodities at a subsidised price through Fair Price Shops, ration cards also act as an identity card to get various benefits of the State government and other public sector undertakings.

As far as ration cards are concerned, they have become smart cards since 2017.

Notably, the KMUT scheme, which provides Rs 1,000 to the women head of the family every month, is provided on the basis of ration cards.