Karnataka - Dharwad   

Govt. to conduct door-to-door survey to revamp PDS

By Our Special Correspondent

DHARWAD, MARCH 15. The State Government will conduct a door-to-door survey as part of a programme to revamp the Public Distribution System, according to B.H. Anil Kumar, Commissioner for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs.

Inaugurating the divisional-level training programme for conducting the survey in Belgaum Division here on Monday, Mr. Kumar said the drive to cancel bogus ration cards was launched in July 2004 and that eight lakh cards have been cancelled. A comprehensive and transparent system of survey is being undertaken in the light of the complaints received, he said.

Mr. Kumar said that green cards have been given to 63 lakh families, who are said to be below the poverty line. A door-to-door survey was undertaken in 2001 in the light of the complaints that about 20 lakh families, who are not eligible, have obtained it. The survey put the number of families below the poverty line at 42 lakhs, and yellow cards were distributed to them.

Applications were invited for yellow cards from those who already had green cards. About 36 lakh applications were received for yellow cards, which took the number of families entitled for the cards to 78 lakhs.

Mr. Kumar said the Government decided to limit the number of yellow cards to 63 lakhs and distributed yellow cards to those who already had green cards. Complaints continued to pour in that the poor have not been given green or yellow cards. In the context of the complaints, temporary yellow cards were issued to 15 lakh families. It was then discovered that some families had got more than one card and that yellow card facility had been misused.

The survey being undertaken had some innovative aspects, he said. A committee comprising NGOs, stree shakti groups, elected members of the zilla panchayat, taluk panchayat and gram panchayats had been constituted in the districts. A taluk-level officer is being put in-charge of the survey for two to three villages, he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

Govt. to conduct door-to-door survey to revamp PDS
Parishat units told to mobilise their own resources
Water supply schedule for Dharwad

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu