February 26, 2015
T.V. SIVANANDAN
Dinesh Gundu Rao, Minister of State for Foodand Civil Supplies, addressing a press conferencein Kalaburagi on Wednesday.—Photo: Arun Kulkarni
Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Dinesh Gundu Rao has said that the State government will oppose any dilution of the food security Act by the National Democratic Alliance government.
He reiterated that the State was firm on strengthening the public distribution system and ensuring that foodgrains were available at affordable prices to the people in need.
The Minister told press persons after inaugurating a jowar procurement centre at the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee yard in Jewargi town on Wednesday that although there was no clarity on the proposed changes in the existing Act passed by the United Progressive Alliance government, the Union government had sounded more than once that they were planning to do so.
Mr. Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the State government proposed to supply pulses and other essential commodities to below poverty line and above poverty line families. “A proposal has gone from the Food and Civil Supplies Department to the government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is likely to take a call on the issue soon. A positive announcement in the budget is likely,” he said.
Mr. Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the government was moving towards linking Aadhaar card with the ration card and all the card holders had been asked to provide their Aadhaar numbers.
To a question, he said that a deadline of March 31 had been given to all those who had more than one ration card in their names and those ineligible beneficiaries having BPL ration cards to surrender their cards to the government to avoid criminal action. The socio-economic census would reveal the exact number of families and the number of ration card possessed by them, the Minister added.
The Minister said that of the 8.5 lakh bogus ration cards cancelled in the past one year, 90 per cent were BPL cards. Another 17 lakh fresh ration cards were distributed this year and another 5 lakh would be distributed later. Jewargi MLA Ajay singh was also present.