Daijiworld Media Network -Brahmavar (SP)

Brahmavar, May 28: The state government has decided to cancel below poverty line (BPL) cards of only those who have filed income tax returns showing higher income, and provide BPL facilities to others whose cards have been transformed into above poverty line (APL) cards because of higher income declarations by the beneficiaries.

Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister, Kota Srinivas Poojary, giving this information, said that this decision was taken at an important meeting held at Bengaluru on Thursday May 27 that was chaired by food and civil supplies and consumer affairs minister, Umesh Katti. He disclosed that this issue had cropped up even in the cabinet meeting for discussion.

"When applying for loans from the banks for higher amounts, the applicants need to file income certificates for the last few years. As income should be commensurate with the quantum of loan applied, people who avail housing loans, house repair loans, starting industries etc had announced higher incomes. On the basis of these declarations, thousands of cards were deemed as illegal while BPL cards of genuine beneficiaries too got converted into APL," he stated.

The meeting was attended by the deputy chairman of Karnataka State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd, Kiran Kodgi, and senior officials of the department of civil supplies and consumer affairs.