From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Dec 31: All the online applicants for new ration cards in the State will get their cards in the next two months, says Food and Civil Supplies Minister Shobha Karandlaje.
The Minister said the Food and Civil Supplies Department had received more than 13 lakh applications through online seeking new ration cards.
To facilitate the issue of new cards to eligible families in rural and urban areas, and to weed out bogus ration cards, the Government has made arrangements for submission of on-line applications in last November.
New ration cards would be issued to online applicants from February end or March month onwards, she said.
After verification of applications, ration cards would be issued to households. Already 12 lakh and 10 lakh bogus ration cards in urban and rural areas, respectively, have been canceled.
Nearly 40 lakh bogus cards are expected to be eliminated after verification of all new applications, she said.
As per the Central Government’s census, only 32 lakh households are eligible to obtain below poverty line cards in the State.
The State government has been providing food subsidy to the tune of Rs. 900 crore a year to supply foodgrains at subsidized prices for below poverty line families.
People living in urban areas may submit applications through private internet facility by going to Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department website http://ahara. kar.nic.in.
If the department website is not accessible, people may visit the department offices in districts and taluks and avail themselves of the facility by paying Rs. 10.
“Using database, processing of ration card data for computerisation is on in 5,630 gram panchayats, 176 taluks and 30 district offices, and work on ineligible ration cards is also in progress. Our goal is to provide ration cards to families which do not have them, at the earliest,” the Minister said.
As per the 2011 Census, there are 1.32 crore families in the State. As the online arrangement for submission of applications for new cards is permanent, there is no need to hurry, the minister noted.