Bengaluru, 8 July

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday directed officials to cancel 'Below Poverty Line' ration cards held by those ineligible, pointing out that 80 per cent of the State's population have them.

As per the NITI Aayog, the percentage of people below the poverty line in the State should be lesser, he said, adding the 'Below Poverty Line' (BPL) cards should be provided only to those who are eligible.

The Chief Minister issued the direction while addressing a meeting of district Deputy Commissioners (DCs), Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), and in-charge secretaries at 'Vidhana Soudha' here. "Eighty per cent of the state's population has BPL cards, compared to 40 per cent in Tamil Nadu. According to NITI Aayog, the percentage of people below the poverty line in the state should be lesser. But we have given BPL cards to 1.27 crore families in the state. Ineligible BPL cards should be cancelled and BPL cards should be provided to only those who are eligible," Siddaramaiah said.

Amid a spike in dengue cases, he asked officials to work for its control on a war-footing, and directed DCs and District Health Officers (DHOs) to hold regular meetings with taluk-level officials and work expeditiously.

Stating that development and progress are not possible if the Deputy Commissioners assume that they are "Maharajas," the Chief Minister instructed both politicians and officers to remember that they are public servants and must serve people.

"DCs, SPs, and CEOs should work proactively and in coordination to effectively deliver government programmes and projects to the common people," he said. Action has been taken against lower-level officers for their indifference, negligence and dereliction of duty until now, Siddaramaiah further said and warned that from Monday onwards, he will also hold senior officials accountable and take action.

Siddaramaiah instructed the officers to take up and implement permanent relief measures in flood-affected villages. He directed them to take steps for immediate settlement of compensation as per State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms for those whose houses and crops were damaged due to the rains.

The state has received seven per cent more rainfall this monsoon season, and 225 waterlogged villages have been identified by 1,247 gram panchayats, he said. -PTI