Own a TV or fridge or 2 wheeler in Karnataka?Surrender or face action

The Karnataka government onMonday asked people possessing Below Poverty Line (BPL) rationcards, despite being ineligible on account of owning either atwo wheeeler, TV, fridge or over five acres of land, tosurrender them before March 31 or face legal action.

''There are parameters for possessing a BPL card. Theyshould not have more than five acres of land, motorcycle, TVor fridge.

Those who don't qualify on these parameters should returnthe cards or else we will do it,'' Food and Civil SuppliesMinister Umesh Katti said at a press conference in Belagavi.

He said anyone earning more than Rs 1.20 lakh annuallyshould not use BPL cards and has to return it before March 31.

Congress flayed the remarks and party workers stagedprotests in front of various ration shops in Bengaluru.

Party workers also protested in Dharwad, Mysuru andTumakuru, a Congress leader said.

Congress MLA U T Khader said the issue had come up beforehim when he was the Food and Civil Supplies Minister in theSiddaramaiah government and he had decided not to relax thenorms as many poor people would be affected.

He opined that when there are offers like interest freeloans to purchase all these items, it was obvious that peoplewould buy it.

The government is 'anti-poor', he charged and asked themto focus on identifying more beneficiaries instead of'snatching away' their BPL cards.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)