Bengaluru: At a Congress Legislature Party meeting late Wednesday, some legislators raised concerns over the cancellation of below-poverty line (BPL) ration cards of genuinely poor families and sought chief minister Siddaramaiah’s intervention. Siddaramaiah assured them he would review the issue, sources said.At the meeting, some members said they had received several complaints of BPL cards being cancelled after families filed income tax returns to obtain loans from banks, including for autorickshaws. Proof of income is sought for loans not covered under govt of India schemes, including personal and home loans, and in some cases, education loans.Raising the issue, KY Nanjegowda who represents Malur (Kolar district) said several low-income families dependent on free food grains every month had their cards withdrawn by staff of the food and civil supplies department. Other members concurred. “We asked the CM to ensure their cards are not cancelled,” a Congress MLA said.MLAs said, in many cases, families had filed income tax returns on the advice of banks while applying for loans, without being aware of its implications. “Many poor families file returns only because banks ask for it. This shouldn’t automatically disqualify them,” another Congress MLA said.About 64% of the state’s population is covered under the BPL programme, pushing up the state’s budget on food grains and healthcare. The govt is also under pressure to eliminate ineligible BPL cardholders to better distribute subsidies.A BPL card entitles a family to free monthly food grains and cash compensation for short supply, besides free treatment at govt hospitals. MLAs said the clean-up exercise may have hurt hundreds of genuinely needy families and urged safeguards to prevent wrongful deletions, warning it could have an impact on the party in the upcoming local body polls.In Aug, the govt said it would launch a web portal which will enable those eligible to secure below poverty line (BPL) ration cards within 24 hours. The initiative was aimed at streamlining the application process and making it more transparent, while also ensuring the economically poor secure benefits under the public distribution system.
