DC |
Bengaluru: Food and Civil Supplies minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Thursday clarified that Aadhaar cards are not mandatory for BPL cardholders to avail ration supplies.
This clarification comes in the wake of complaints that fair price shops were denying rations to cardholders citing that Aadhaar cards had been made mandatory.
However, the State government has launched a drive to collect the Aadhaar card details for the existing BPL cardholders, while making Aadhaar number compulsory for new applicants seeking BPL cards.
“The new applicants will have to furnish Aadhaar card details in the form and we have launched a drive to collect Aadhaar number of existing cardholders. Those applications seeking change of address, omission or additions now have to furnish Aadhaar number.
In the long run, this will help us adopt the new system of subsidy transfer – direct benefit transfer (DBT) to the beneficiaries account. However, Anna Bhagya beneficiaries need not be worried as Aadhaar card is not mandatory now,” asserted Mr Rao.
Moving closer to linking the Aadhaar card to the public distribution system, the State is now linking the ration cards to the Aadhaar card number for kerosene distribution (Rs 16.20 per litre) through the PDS.
“We will begin with districts like Tumkur, Mysore and Dharwad, where Aadhaar enrollment is almost 90 per cent,” said Mr Rao, adding that eventually Bangalore would be made a kerosene free city by extending subsidy for BPL families to avail a gas connection.
Ragi, Jowar through PDS
Bengaluru: Food and Civil Supplies minister Dinesh Gundu Rao announced that Ragi and Jowar would be supplied through the Public Distribution System from next month.
The department is calling tenders to procure ragi and jowar from open market from September 21 and also opened centres for direct purchase from farmer offering minimum support price.
Similarly, sugar will also be provided through the PDS and the government is procuring it from the two government-run factories – Mysugar and Mandya Paper Mills, which accounts for the 40 per cent of the requirement (1.10 lakh tonnes).
States:
Karnataka