Chief Minister Siddramaiah speaking to reporters in Bagalkot on Sunday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Only ineligible persons will lose BPL cards, says Karnataka Chief Minister

Opposition parties term move a process to reduce financial burden owing to guarantee schemes

by · The Hindu

A reported move by the State government to take away Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards from ineligible persons took a political twist on Sunday, with the Opposition parties terming this an effort to reduce Karnataka’s financial burden stemming from the guarantee schemes.

Replying to such charges, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah made it clear that poor and genuine beneficiaries will not be affected as only ineligible persons will lose the BPL cards.

Speaking to presspersons in Bagalkot, the Chief Minister denied allegations that the government had issued orders for the cancellation of BPL cards of eligible beneficiaries.

“We are taking steps to weed out ineligible persons from the BPL card beneficiaries. This will help the eligible beneficiaries get all the benefits. We have found that several government employees and taxpayers have obtained BPL cards and have not returned them despite several appeals,” he said.

“The Department of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs is examining a proposal to urge all ineligible persons to return cards or to cancel them. But no final decision has been taken,” he added.

“I want to clarify that while steps will be taken to cancel the BPL cards of ineligible persons, the cards of eligible beneficiaries will stay. Our only concern is that the deserving should not be deprived of benefits and that government benefits should not be abused by the undeserving,” he noted.

Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy addressing contract workers during his visit to Kolar on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Janata Dal (Secular) leader and Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy alleged that the government was converting 11 lakh BPL cards into Above Poverty Line (APL) cards, and snatching food from 11 lakh families.

“The people are questioning this. The Centre has not reduced the supply of rice. Should APL cardholders buy rice because of the mistake of the government? To reduce the burden on guarantees, the government is enacting a drama to convert BPL to APL cards,” he alleged.

Stating that the Congress guarantees are not a burden on the State exchequer, he alleged that financial inefficiency and mismanagement had emptied the exchequer and pushed the State into a debt trap.

“I will not say Karnataka is bankrupt. A large quantum of funds is being collected through tax in Karnataka and this government has been hiking taxes and fees since it came to power. The government has to answer as to what is happening with the taxes collected,” Mr. Kumaraswamy told presspersons in Kolar.

He claimed that though taxes and fees have been increased, development has been zero and the government is using guarantees as an alibi to ignore development.

Arguing on similar lines, Leader of Opposition in the Assemby R. Ashok termed the process of weeding out ineligible BPL cardholders as an attempt to reduce the beneficiaries of the guarantee schemes.

“The sixth guarantee of this government is to stop the other guarantees. The government has given a target of reducing the size of beneficiaries by 10% every year,” he alleged at a press conference in Bengaluru.

Published - November 18, 2024 07:00 am IST