From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Jul 25: In a people-friendly initiative, all the Below Poverty Line and Above Poverty Line Card-holders throughout Karnataka will receive SMS alerts requesting them to lift their quota of rations from the Public Distribution System (PDS) ration shops from August 1.

The Food and Civil Supplies Department has collected cell phone numbers of more than 80 lakh BPL and APL families.

To ensure transparency in the distribution and allocation of rations, the Department has decided to send SMS to ration cardholders across the State from August 1, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao announced in Bengaluru on Saturday.

The SMS alerts would help in reducing complaints related to diversion of foodgrains by ration shop-owners, he said.

There are 1.08 crore BPL and 30 lakh APL families in the State.

The information regarding supply of foodgrains to ration shops, price and the eligible quantity to be received would be uploaded in the mobile platform, in advance, for the benefit of the beneficiaries.

The Food and Civil Services Department has introduced electronic billing system for receiving foodgrains from the wholesale FCI godowns at four receiving points on pilot basis - Ballari, K R Putam, Whitefield and Hubballi.

“This will help in a big way to avoid complaints of diversion of rations at receiving points,’’ the minister said.

He said the Department had scrutinised 6.5 lakh pending applications for BPL cards and cards would be issued soon.

A process of weeding out of bogus and duplicate BPL cards has been undertaken. All those families obtained bogus ration cards are asked to surrender before July 31.

The Department had filed criminal cases against families for utilising bogus cards to get rations.

A deputy tahsildar in Bidar and railway employees in Mysuru was found guilty in possessing BPL cards. Fine was imposed on the employees of the government, he said.