By Express News Service
Published: 11th September 2016 05:33 AM
BENGALURU: Below Poverty Line (BPL) card holders in the cities who have not submitted their Aadhaar number to the Food and Civil Supplies Department might risk the cancellation of their cards.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister U T Khader said that consumers have time till the end of the month to link their Aadhaar number to the BPL cards. “About 72 per cent of the people have already linked their Aadhaar numbers. If the rest do not do so by the end of this month, we will cancel their cards as they will be considered bogus,” he said on Saturday.
The Minister also said that the coupon system being adopted at present for disbursal of items under PDS had seen several improvements and from next month, card holders would receive coupons which would be valid for three months. However, distribution of coupons in rural areas has seen problems due to erratic power supply and internet connectivity issues.
“Since this has proved to be a problem, we are introducing coupons on mobile phones. We are giving ten mobiles to each district. Consumers can use their biometrics to take their coupons from these mobiles, which will be available at selected places,” he said.
Applicants in rural areas can submit their forms for BPL cards online. “The Panchayat Development Officer will verify the application in three days. Once approved, the card will be dispatched in a week’s time. Applicants will have to pay `70 for the card,” Khader said.
He also said that the online application facility in the cities will take some time to be introduced. A decision is likely to be taken after another round of talks.