Bengaluru
Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Minister K.H. Muniyappa on Wednesday announced positive news for people who have been waiting for new ration cards, stating that eligible beneficiaries will receive new Below Poverty Line (BPL) ration cards within the next one to one-and-a-half months. Speaking at a press conference held at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, the minister said the government has made significant progress in processing pending applications.
According to Muniyappa, a total of 3.96 lakh applications were received across the state from people seeking new BPL ration cards. Of these, applications that met the prescribed eligibility criteria have largely been processed. So far, 2.95 lakh eligible applications have already been disposed of. Instructions have been issued to officials to ensure that the remaining eligible applicants are issued ration cards within the next month, the minister said.
The minister also stated that the government is actively identifying and removing ineligible BPL cardholders as part of a clean-up exercise. Such cards are being converted to Above Poverty Line (APL) cards wherever required, ensuring that benefits reach only deserving families. This process, he said, would help improve transparency and strengthen the public distribution system.
Muniyappa further announced that meetings will be held in every district by the end of this month to complete the process of opening new fair price shops. Under the revised internal reservation policy, as many as 3,517 fair price shops will be allotted to beneficiaries belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, providing them with livelihood opportunities and improving access to essential commodities in rural and underserved areas