From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Jan 5: All Above Poverty Line (APL) families in Karnataka have some cheerful news at last as they have been given the privilege for applying for ration cards online from January 9 and get their ration cards mailed to their residence address within a week.

Karnataka’s Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department has decided to launch the APL ration card programme from January 9.

Online registration address for applying for ration cards is: ahara.kar.nic.in.

All APL families are eligible to obtain 15 kg of rice and five kg of wheat per month costing Rs 125.

In rural areas, gram panchayats would issue BPL applications and the village accountant would verify BPL cards, he said.

Addressing presspersons here, Food and Civil and Consumer Affairs Minister U T Khader said all rations cards, including, have been linked to the Aadhar cards.

Linkage between Aadhar cards and ration cards has been made mandatory, he said.

Over 10 lac BPL families have applied seeking ration cards. Now, they have to apply again by linking with thier Aadhar numbers.

This is because the department has reduced the number of criteria required for submitting applications for BPL cards from 14 to just 5.

No member in the family should be a government employee and income tax payee and also the family should not own four-wheeler, nor own more than seven acres and a house in urban area spread over more than 1000 sq.ft. to be eligible to apply for APL cards.