BELAGAVI: Karnataka Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Minister KH Muniyappa has said that the State Government is considering revising the income limit for BPL (Below Poverty Line) cards.
Replying to a question raised by MLA Rajesh Naik in the Question Hour in the Assembly on Thursday, Muniyappa said that the Union Government has fixed the income limit for BPL cardholders at Rs 1.2 lakh per annum. However, even daily wage labourers now earn around Rs 500 daily, he said, adding that based on this, the annual income of wage workers exceeds Rs 1.8 lakh. In this context, the government has been considering revising the income limit, he added.
“Through a survey, the Centre has identified 7,75,206 suspected ration beneficiaries in Karnataka. There are 4.53 lakh BPL and 1.25 lakh APL card-holding families in the state. Compared to the state’s population, 73% of families have BPL cards. The state is among the leading states in GST and income tax payments. Considering this, the proportion of BPL families should have been around 50%. However, more families than this have obtained BPL cards,” he elaborated.
He told the House that at present, BPL cards are issued only on medical grounds. If a BPL card has been cancelled because a family member has taken up employment, the affected family can apply to the tahsildar concerned, stating that the employed member is not residing with them, and the BPL card will be issued within 15 days, Muniyappa added.