APL cardholders to receive free ration like BPL cardholders

District In-charge Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary said the government will issue directions to consider nearly 2.45 lakh APL cardholders as BPL cardholders and make them eligible for free ration.

“APL cardholders should apply to the tahsildar to obtain free rice,” he said while participating in a PV-DH phone-in-programme organised at the bureau office in Balmatta.

Poojary revealed that APL cardholders will also receive free rice when a caller lamented that unlike the poor, the middle-class people were left to fend for themselves.

The minister said that 10 kg of rice each had been distributed to 2,71,000 BPL cardholders.

He agreed that the boiled rice, being sold to BPL cardholders through fair price shops, did not meet the expectations of local people.

“We will make attempts to procure the red boiled rice from local mills,” he assured the callers.

To a question, Poojary said that wheat and pulses will be disbursed through fair price shops next week.

A majority of the 41 calls received by the minister were related to the ending of the lockdown.

Poojary, while responding to a question from a cook in Belthangady, recollected that the association of barbers, tailors, autorickshaw workers and drivers had met him to highlight the problems they are facing during the ongoing lockdown.

“Countries that ignored the Covid-19 threat are paying a heavy price. The focus is now on bringing down the cases that tested positive for Covid-19 to zero. The external borders will remain sealed. I will hold talks with Dakshina Kannada and Udupi deputy commissioners on relaxing the internal lockdown and help those depending on daily wages to eke out a livelihood,” he said.

“We must be brave and face these situations, which are temporary,” the minister appealed.

Those asked to report
to government duty, supplying essentials, requiring repairs for IP sets, will not face any
problem from the police, he added.

“Stay where you are,” he advised when a caller sought the minister’s help to escort
a stranded relative to Mangaluru.