A.P. to issue Smart Family Cards by June

The Andhra Pradesh State government is preparing to roll out the Family Benefit Management System (FBMS), a comprehensive data-driven framework that treats every household as a single unit for the delivery of welfare schemes and public services. 

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who reviewed the initiative at the Secretariat on Monday (November 24), directed officials to complete data integration and issue Smart Family Cards to all 1.4 crore families in the State by June next year.

Mr. Naidu said the Smart Family Card must become the central tool for accessing government services and verifying eligibility for welfare benefits. He instructed officials to update and consolidate information related to every citizen, including Aadhaar, vaccination status, caste certificates, ration card details, nutrition support, scholarships, pensions, and other welfare schemes, into a unified system managed through the RTGS Data Lake. The card will contain nearly 25 categories of static and dynamic data and will be equipped with a QR code to enable easy verification, he said.

Stating that the initiative is key to transparent governance, the Chief Minister noted that the Smart Family Card should not be restricted to pensions or ration services but should reflect the entire range of civic and welfare benefits a household receives. The system will significantly improve the government’s ability to identify eligible beneficiaries and resolve discrepancies in welfare delivery, he said.

Mr. Naidu instructed departments to rely on RTGS data as the single source of truth and directed Swarnandhra Vision Units in villages and towns to assist in updating household information. The government aims to complete the updating of individual and family data by January 2026, followed by State-wide distribution of the Smart Family Cards in June.

Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand and senior officials from various departments attended the review meeting.