Difficult to provide 35 kg of rice to all BPL families in State: Shobha

The discrepancies in the public distribution system (PDS) rocked the Legislative Assembly on Thursday with Opposition members trying to put the State Government on the mat for its failure to provide 35 kg of rice a month to each Below Poverty Line (BPL) family as per the Centre's direction.

Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Shobha Karandlaje said the Centre was providing subsidised foodgrains at the rate of 35 kg per family for only 31.29 lakh families though the State Government had identified 84.07 lakh beneficiaries.

“As the foodgrains supplied by Union Government is found inadequate to cover all BPL families, the State Government has introduced a unit system to cover the 52.72 lakh BPL families, which are in excess of the 31.29 lakh determined by the Centre,” she said.

Under the unit system, families with one member receive 4 kg of rice, two members get 8 kg, three get 12, four receive 16 kg and five and above are entitled for 20 kg of rice a month.

The State Government is utilising most of the Above Poverty Line (APL) foodgrains released by the Centre to cover all the BPL families. “Hence, it is difficult to provide 35 kg of foodgrains to all the BPL families in the State,” she said.

Ms. Karandlaje cited indiscriminate doling out of BPL cards by the previous Governments for “political purposes” as reason for the State to have a total of 1.68 crore BPL cards at the time when the BJP Government came to power. “Apart from the 1.68 crore BPL cards, 16 lakh more had been printed, but yet to be distributed. We had to immediately stop its distribution,” she said.

Private firm blamed

Ms Karandlaje also sought to lay the blame for the mess at the doorstep of a private company, which she did not name. The Government officials abdicated all their responsibilities and the private company, which had been entrusted for distribution, began issuing the BPL cards indiscriminately, she said.

But, Janata Dal (Secular) member K.M. Shivalinge Gowda, who raised the question, demanded an answer from the State Government whether it had obtained the Centre's permission to deny the BPL cardholders the full quantum of rice they were entitled to.

When Ms. Karandlaje did not give a direct answer, Mr. Gowda trooped into the well of the House and threatened to stage a dharna. However, he was later convinced to resume his seat.