Mysuru: The department of food and civil supplies has cancelled 4,282 below poverty line (BPL) ration cards in Mysuru district as part of a drive to remove ineligible beneficiaries, following directions from the state govt. Over the past two years, the department has cancelled a total of 18,932 BPL cards and 1,147 Anna Yojana ration cards in the district.Among the 4,282 recently cancelled BPL cards in the district, Mysuru taluk recorded the highest number at 1,119, followed by Nanjangud (1,030), T Narasipura (792), Hunsur (422), Periyapatna (356), HD Kote (159), Saligrama (150), Saragur (144) and KR Nagar (110).Officials said the verification drive was carried out based on official documents such as PAN and Aadhaar details submitted during loan procurement, income details mentioned in caste and income certificates issued by taluk administrations, and information furnished while paying income tax. These checks helped identify beneficiaries who did not meet eligibility norms.The department weeded out BPL cards held by families with an annual income exceeding Rs 1.2 lakh, GST taxpayers, govt employees, and those who had not purchased ration for six to 12 months. Cards were also cancelled for beneficiaries owning agricultural land exceeding 7.5 acres, in line with Union govt guidelines.In addition, the department decided to penalise govt pension holders and other beneficiaries who failed to surrender their BPL cards despite repeated reminders.Food inspector Madegowda told TOI that eligible beneficiaries whose BPL cards were cancelled could submit relevant details and documents within 45 days of cancellation to the offices of the tahsildar, food shiresdar or food inspector for reconsideration.District Guarantee Implementation Committee chairman Arunkumar said the cancellations were carried out after continuous verification as per Union govt guidelines, and directions had been issued to ensure that eligible beneficiaries were not affected. He added that if any eligible person’s card was cancelled, the department would reverify and reissue it.Joint director of food and civil supplies Manteswamy said only ineligible ration cards were cancelled and converted into APL cards after multi-stage verification. He added that the drive to weed out ineligible beneficiaries would continue.
