The Karnataka Lokayukta, in association with the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA) and the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC), will soon undertake a study of Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards and their reach across the State. Several law college students will go around villages during the last week of September to create awareness on the initiative.
The study is part of an initiative by the three organisations which will pool in their resources and try and address the problems of the common man such as those relating to food, health and other issues.
The Director of the Food and Civil Supplies Department has submitted lists of BPL cards distributed in each of the 29 districts of the State. Based on this information, the organisations have selected 29 places such as the Koramangala slum in Bangalore Urban, Sarjapura village in Bangalore Rural, Adakal village in Bagalkot district and Jakkanayakoppa in Belgaum district for conducting research work.
Students from different law colleges will visit the villages and get feedback about BPL cards. They will collect information on several counts including total population, number of BPL cards distributed, economic condition of beneficiaries, quality of foodgrains supplied and the way it is supplied.
“Each group will submit a separate report which will be scrutinised,” said N. Santosh Hegde.
Mr. Hegde said the study would be different from the one done by the Supreme Court Committee headed by Justice Wadhwa. “The Supreme Court Committee looked at the problem from the macro-level. We will be studying the situation from the ground level,” he said.
Among the colleges that will be participating in the study are the National Law School of India University, Kempegowda Law College in Chickmagalur, R.L. Law College in Davangere, Government Law College in Hassan and PES Law College in Mandya. Students of law colleges from almost all the districts will be involved in the survey. They will undergo a one-day training programme at the High Court before leaving for different places.
Workshop inaugurated
On Sunday, Mr. Hegde inaugurated a workshop for students who will undertake the survey. He said the survey should finally ensure that BPL cards reached all eligible people.
Chairman of the KSHRC S.R. Nayak said rampant corruption in distribution of BPL cards had resulted in ineligible people possessing them. The survey, which would be transparent, should expose such incidents, he felt. Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran and High Court Judge K.L. Manjunath were present.
