Karnataka's BPL Ration Card Conundrum: Minister Calls for Reform

Karnataka's Food and Civil Supplies Minister, K H Muniyappa, advocates for reassessment of Below Poverty Line (BPL) ration cards, indicating 20% belong to Above Poverty Line (APL) families. He urges political unity to amend discrepancies caused by previous administrations, aiming to rectify the imbalance without affecting genuine BPL families.

In a significant address to the legislative council on Monday, Karnataka's Food and Civil Supplies Minister, K H Muniyappa, spotlighted a pressing issue within the state's ration card system. Claiming that 20% of families holding Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards should actually be classified as Above Poverty Line (APL), Muniyappa called for a bipartisan effort to correct this systemic misclassification.

Responding to inquiries from JD(S) MLC K A Thippeswamy, Minister Muniyappa acknowledged that previous governments bear responsibility for this mix-up, which affects nearly 80% of Karnataka's population that holds BPL cards. He detailed his own attempts to address the situation, efforts which apparently led to confusion among citizens as many were removed from the BPL list.

Muniyappa is resolved, however, to undertake a detailed inquiry to properly categorize families, ensuring genuine BPL households remain unaffected while transitioning ineligible ones to the APL category. He emphasized the need for all political parties to work above partisan interests to resolve an issue exacerbated by Karnataka's economic status as second only to Maharashtra in strength.

(With inputs from agencies.)