Food and Civil Supplies Minister K H Muniyappa on Tuesday said that the government would take steps to issue new Below Poverty Line (BPL) ration cards as the department had received more than 3.9 lakh applications in this category since 2017.
According to data available with DH, more than 3.9 lakh BPL applications and 7.11 lakh Above Poverty Line (APL) applications are pending since 2017.
“The government will take steps to clear these applications on priority,” Muniyappa told reporters.
The minister told DH that the government was coming out with a separate plan to supply rice to 40 lakh beneficiaries to whom the union government had not accorded approval yet, but the state government had allocated Rs 1,680 crore to bring them under the ambit of ‘Anna Bhagya’ scheme.
The minister said the state was taking steps to help the existing 22 lakh BPL card holders who have not been able to receive funds through direct benefit transfer (DBT) due to various reasons such as the family head’s name not being changed in the card, despite his or her death or he or she living separately.
Published 25 July 2023, 17:32 IST