HASSAN (KARNATAKA): District Authority has canceled 7,190 alleged bogus BPL cards in the district so far.
Interestingly Rs 1,000 fine was imposed against three officials working in different departments of state government for allegedly possessing of BPL cards.
The department of food and civil supplies has identified illegal BPL cards following special and surprise drive recently.
The district authority also has issued the notification warning illegal cardholders of action if failed to return to the department earliest.
Statistics available with Express
Hassan district has 1,55,6975 beneficiaries with 4,83,615 card holders including 54,204 beneficiaries under BPL.
The department has also omitted the names of 6,837 dead persons from the list of beneficiaries during the drive.
Further, the department has identified and confiscated illegal cards highest with 1,325 in Sakleshpur taluk
followed by 1,280 in Belur, 1,182 in Channarayapatna, 1,005 in Hassan, 794 in Arsikere, 749 in Arkalgud and least with 216 in Alur taluk.
Interestingly, many illegal cardholders voluntarily returned the BPL cards only after the officials have announced that the department will take steps to recover the cost of the food grains being collected from
fair price shops at market price.
Sources in the department said that beneficiaries have voluntarily surrendered the BPL cards when the food and civil supplies department asked the beneficiaries to link the AADHAR card no with BPL card.
The officials of food and civil supplies said that the department has recovered the cash in the form of fine from all the three employees who enjoyed BPL cards since decades.
Three illegal BPL cardholders were D Group employees from Arsikere, Hassan and Alur.
According to Savita the deputy director for food and civil supplies the department will continue a special drive in the district and take action against illegal beneficiaries as per the act.
The department also keeps a watch on beneficiaries allegedly selling the food grains at cheaper price in the black market. Officials also often visiting the stockyards in APMC to inspect and check the food grains, she added.