Govt plans to weed out illegal BPL cards, file criminal cases

BENGALURU: The state government plans to weed out illegal Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards and convert them to Above Poverty Line (APL) cards. It is estimated that there are 14 lakh illegal BPL cardholders including government employees and high income individuals.

In the initial stage, the goverment plans to suspend the illegal BPL cards for six months. The cardholders who are moved to APL category will get 10 kg rice per individual or family only and no other PDS items. In Bengaluru alone, 21,746 BPL cards were detected by the Food and Civil Supplies Department. The cardholders are being identified with the help of the RTOs to track vehicles registered in their names.

For BPL cardholders, the government will provide 10 kg of rice for each member of the family along with ragi and other PDS items. But now, since the state government hasn’t been able to procure additional rice, 5 kg of rice provided by the Centre along with money for the remaining 5 kg of rice is being provided.

As per the government, those paying taxes, or those in government or quasi-government jobs, those paying house rent, owning 7.5 acres or more of land, owning four-wheeler for private use, will not be eligible for BPL cards. If it is detected that documents were falsified to obtain BPL cards, the beneficiaries will have to return the amount equivalent to the PDS stocks they have procured. Rice will be calculated at Rs 35 per kg and the money will have to be paid to the fair price shop. Also, criminal cases will be filed against the illegal BPL cardholders.