People throng browsing centres to apply for BPL cards

Mysore/Mysuru: With the Congress Government promising to implement its five poll guarantees — Anna Bhagya, under which each BPL card member will get 10 kgs of rice for free, Yuva Nidhi, under which unemployed youth will get a monthly allowance (Rs.3,000 for graduates and Rs. 1,500 for diploma holders), Gruha Jyothi scheme (200 units of  free power), Gruha Lakshmi scheme, under which Rs. 2,000 per month will be paid to woman head of a family and Shakti, under which women can travel in public transport buses for free — people are thronging the browsing  centres and cyber cafes in cities and towns across the district for getting BPL (Below Poverty Line)card, the possession of which is likely to be made mandatory for getting these benefits.

People are lining up in queues at the browsing centres to apply for BPL card which can be assessed electronically through an online web portal. Though the previous BJP Government had asked eligible people to apply for BPL cards in January this year, many could not apply due to various reasons. Now with the Congress coming to power with its five poll guarantees, people who want to be beneficiaries, are wasting no time to become one for the schemes of the  new Government.

At present, there are 6,60,875 BPL card holders in the district, with 20,82,804 beneficiaries. Also, there are 50,410 Antyodaya card holders with 2,17,152 beneficiaries and 1,09,478 APL (Above Poverty Line)  card holders.

The previous BJP Government had asked all ration card holders to seed cards with their Aadhaar numbers. Accordingly, out of the 7,11,287 cards, 7,11,266 were seeded, thus achieving almost cent percent of the seeding exercise. But now, filing of fresh applications have been temporarily stopped and so also the corrections (if any) to the existing ration cards. Alarmed by the huge number of bogus ration cards, the previous BJP Government had ordered seeding of cards with Aadhaar numbers. It had also asked the people to return any duplicate cards or bogus cards.

Mysuru taluk has the highest number of APL card holders with 2,17,464, followed by Nanjangud taluk with 1,03,788 cards, while all other taluks in the district have BPL cards less than one lakh                       in number.