Mangaluru: MLC Ivan D'Souza said that only 340 ineligible BPL cardholders were identified in Dakshina Kannada, and these cards will either be cancelled or upgraded to APL ration cards.
The MLC criticised BJP MLAs for making politically motivated accusations against the Congress govt. "The BJP MLAs have been making a hue and cry that BPL cards are being cancelled to deny benefits of the guarantee schemes. None of the BPL cards of eligible families has been cancelled. BPL cards of those who pay income tax, GST, and govt employees are being cancelled," D'Souza told reporters on Saturday.
While Dakshina Kannada district has 4.59 lakh ration cards, 2,77,744 of them are BPL cards, 22,885 are Antyodaya cards, and 1,74,334 are APL cards. Of these, 3,079 BPL cardholders have not availed ration in the last six months, and 2,377 were identified as ineligible BPL cards as per the Kutumba Software. Of the 5,456 ineligible BPL cards, 5,116 cards were restored after verifying their documents. Accordingly, the district has only 340 ineligible BPL cards, the MLC explained.
On the implementation of the guarantee schemes, the MLC said camps will soon be organised in urban and rural areas of all districts to rectify errors in the cards.
Guarantee schemes
The government has already released 14 instalments under Gruha Lakshmi Scheme, and the money has been credited to the bank accounts of beneficiary women. A few of them have not availed the benefits due to issues pertaining to GST number and IT returns. The issue will be raised during the winter session on Dec 9, D'Souza added.
Various issues related to the development of coastal districts, especially in the tourism sector, will be discussed during the winter session. The government has already framed rules to reconstitute the Coastal Development Authority into Coastal Development Board. The board will urge the government to sanction Rs 500 crore annually for the development of beaches and other tourism-related activities, he said.
KSRTC buses to Karkala
The MLC said he has urged DC Mullai Muhilan MP to issue a temporary permit for KSRTC to operate buses on the Mangaluru-Moodbidri-Karkala route. Stating that no KSRTC buses operate on this stretch, he said women in this region have not able to avail the benefits of Shakti Scheme (free bus travel).