Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (RD)

Mangalore, Jul 17: The activists of Karnataka regional peasants union, pro-people women group and DYFI laid siege to the office of tahsildar here to protest against the irregularities in issuing ration cards in the state, in spite of heavy rains on Monday Jul 16 afternoon.

The activists proceeded in a rally from deputy commissioner’s office till tahsildar’s office holding umbrellas. A large number of women were also present.

“The difficulty in obtaining ration cards has been faced by the citizens across the state, due to government apathy.  BPL families are running pillar to post to get their ration cards.  They are pleading the officers for issuing new ration cards after submitting their applications on the basis of temporary ration cards issued already,” alleged leaders Yadava Shetty, Muneer Katipalla, Ashok Konchady, Dayanand Shetty and others.  A memorandum was presented to the tahsildar with their demands: 

• BPL cards should be issued to all the eligible. 
• The errors in the temporary cards should be rectified at the earliest.
• Ration shops should not provide boiled rice to the BPL card holders.
• A minimum quantity of kerosene should be issued to LPG customers.
• Ration of daily necessities like edible oil, pulses, tea powder, soap, match boxes should be provided as that of Kerala and Tamil Nadu on subsidized rates.
• The basis of Unit should be discontinued in rationing.
• A specific yardstick should be applied for the entire district while modifying the  yardstick that’s applicable in general to rest of the districts across the state, in issuing BPL cards.