From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Jun 3: All Below Poverty Line (BPL) Card Holders in Karnataka have been asked to attend the Aahara Adalats being held at all fair price ration shops across the State on June 7.
The Aahara Adalats are being organised in the ration shops for the verification of the validity of the ration cards.
The officials of the Food and Civil Supplies Department would conduct Aahara Adalats on 7th of every month on the premises of ration shops for hearing grievances of cardholders.
Efforts would be made to eliminate bogus BPL ration cards during the Adalats, Karnataka’s Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao told reporters in Bangalore on Monday.
The subsidy amount for the Anna Bhagya scheme has been increased from Rs 900 crore to Rs 4300 crore a year on account of distribution of rice to 1.02 crore BPL families at Rupe 1 per kg (total 30 kg a month) a family.
The minister said officials of the Food and Civil Supplies Department would conduct Aahara Adalats on 7th of every month on the premises of ration shops and listened to the grievances of the ration cardholders. There are over 20,000 ration shops in the State.
To ensure availability of food items to needy families, owners of ration shops have been instructed to keep shops open from 9 am to 8.30 pm during the first 10 days of every month.
He said expenditure on various welfare schemes should not be construed as a wasteful expenditure and their objective was to enhance human development.
Rao said ration cards would be issued early if beneficiaries furnish the Aadhaar card numbers (UID) while submitting applications.
The department has decided to link all cards either with EPIC or UID numbers in the next six months.
Work on the construction of a signal free corridor at Okalipuram near majestic in Bangalore would commence soon, the Minister said.
He said that the Indian Railway has given the green signal to the project.
The issue was discussed during a meeting with Union Railway Minister D V Sadananda Gowda here on Sunday, when Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was also present.