BENGALURU: Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Minister KH Muniyappa has said that the state government is taking steps to raise the annual income ceiling for Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards from Rs 1.20 lakh to Rs 3 lakh as per the recommendations of the Administrative Reforms Commission.
Speaking after chairing a review meeting of the State Guarantee Schemes Implementation Authority along with Chairman HM Revanna, Muniyappa said the tender process for the Rs 6,000-crore Indira Kit scheme is in its final stage with distribution expected to begin in the next two months. The kit is expected to have 5 kg of rice, one kg each of tur dal, moong dal, sugar, salt and one litre of cooking oil.
Muniyappa said the government is now providing 10 kg of rice to 4.42 crore beneficiaries under the Anna Bhagya scheme to make Karnataka a hunger-free state.
On verification of ration cards, Muniyappa clarified that no cards will be cancelled. Only those ineligible BPL cards will be shifted to the APL category as per the Union government’s guidelines. To curb diversion of foodgrains, the department has installed CCTV cameras at its warehouses. “We have also introduced a GPS tracking system for vehicles transporting foodgrains and set up a command and control centre. We have provided 33 more inspection vehicles to monitor weights and measures,” he said.
Muniyappa pointed out that his department has registered 1,497 FIRs and seized PDS foodgrains worth Rs 50 crore.
The government has directed 20,259 fair price shops to remain open from 6 am to 10 pm. It has asked beneficiaries to report violations through helpline No. 1967. The government is considering a proposal to allow beneficiaries to complete e-KYC through their mobile phones, he said.
Muniyappa said under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) scheme, the government has procured 5.60 lakh tonnes of ragi for beneficiaries.