BENGALURU: After lakhs of BPL (Below Poverty Line) ration cards in the state were cancelled as the holders were found to be ineligible either by virtue of having a government job or annual pay of Rs 1.2 lakhs or other parameters, the state has slowly resuming issuing new ration cards.
As per the government mandate, 50 percent of the population in a city can be given BPL ration cards. Deputy director of food and civil supplies Soumya said due to this, issuing new ration cards had stopped a year ago.
At the moment, she told TNIE the department has slowly begun the process to issue new BPL ration cards with priority given to sections such as terminally ill persons. She urged the domestic workers union to enlist the eligible candidates and give the list so they could be pushed for a priority category as well.
She was talking on the sidelines of a complaint redressal forum of Stree Jagruti Samiti and Domestic Workers Rights Union, where she addressed concerns of domestic workers in obtaining BPL ration card.
Domestic workers rued not having food or social security. With ration cards being essential for social security schemes, the demand for them has increased.
Soumya pointed out that in the city, those below the poverty line who were daily wagers were hesitant to go through the rigmarole of getting a new ration card issued.
But after the pandemic, food insecurity has risen and so has the demand for ration cards.
Interestingly, in cities, Soumya highlighted that more than food, the BPL ration card is seen as a necessity by many for availing medical care, pension schemes and scholarships, and hence now everyone knows they need a ration card.
She urged domestic workers to apply for the card as soon as they come to the city. "When migrant labour moves into the city, they come with the mindset that it's a temporary accommodation, but after two years they find the need for ration cards," she said.
The problems that comes with lack of ration cards are compounded by the lack of knowledge on how to attain them. Women are deprived of a decent sustenance as a result.
"I have no husband or house. And my BPL card is cancelled and I dont know why," Kallamma broke down, while testifying at a forum.
She was not alone. Many women from the domestic workers rights union were running their families on their own and were in desperate need of a BPL ration card - be it for food, or pension or even medical expenses. These women have been waiting for their cards for months and many have no idea how to obtain them.
"It's not so easy to get the BPL ration card," said Jayanthi, who is seeking a widows pension. "I gave my documents to the councillor and there was no response," she said.
Ruth, who is undergoing a divorce, said she needs a card now and cannot depend on her aged mother who already has other dependants. Ruth has three children to look after.
Several of the women seeking redressal were single parents or divorcees or having husbands who played no role in taking care of the household.
Sumitra who wants to admit her children to school and seek food from Anganwadi Kendras, which provide ration kits to preschoolers and pregnant women, needs a ration card too. But it has already been four months since she applied and she does not know what happened to the process.
Although all the information about getting a ration card is provided on the website of the department of food and civil supplies, several women in the domestic workers forum do not know how to visit it, and what they are eligible for, Executive Trustee at CIVIC, Kathyayini Chamaraj, rued.
Social activist Geeta Menon, co-founder of Stree Jagruti Samiti and joint secretary of Domestic Workers Rights Union, added that the pandemic has pushed these women to the edge, with reduced income and jobs. There is anyway no social security to take care of them and being women, they feel doubly disadvantaged in the system, she said.
The state government assured a Rs 2000 one time relief to domestic workers among other categories of informal workers. But Geeta said of the four lakh applicants out of 10 lakh domestic workers in the state, just 24,000 received the money, while several got an acknowledgement but no money.
Kathyayini said that many of these women domestic workers are unable to access the public distribution system (PDS) for rations, because their biometrics don't match as they do physical labour.
Soumya said there is a relaxation for 2 percent of the beneficiaries in each depot and these women could be identified and added.
While the idea of smart cards instead of biometrics was being debated, an official told TNIE that it is not feasible in Karnataka, although it has been implemented in Tamil Nadu, Chattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh. The smart cards lead to malpractice, he added.