DAVANGERE: The state government received 19 lakh new applications for rations cards through the Internet, and physical verification of the applications will start in two months, said Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Shobha Karandajle.
She said the state provided food grains under the PDS to 92 lakh BPL families even though the Centre gave subsidies to 32 lakh families only. This excess of more than 60 lakh ration cards incurred a loss of `1,500 crore. This was a mistake made in 2006. In 2006, ration cards were distributed based on the 2001 population census to 1.68 crore families even though the total number of families in the state were only 1.10 crore.
“When the state took up the survey, we found that some families had 15 to 40 cards. Some shops printed cards on their own. Thus we found several unauthorised ration cards,” Shobha said.