Bengaluru: Karnataka’s public distribution system is in the spotlight after the state govt admitted it issued about 15 lakh more below poverty line (BPL) ration cards than the number of eligible families identified by the Centre.Data tabled in the assembly by food and civil supplies minister KH Muniyappa last week shows that while the Centre has identified almost 1.1 crore eligible families, the state has issued 1.24 crore BPL cards. Also, nearly 7.8 lakh beneficiaries have been flagged as suspicious.Replying on behalf of Muniyappa in the assembly, health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said coverage is extensive, especially in rural areas where it is about 95% of households.“In many areas, ineligible people apply for ration cards for other purposes — hospitalisation for instance,” Rao said. “If the Centre does not fund the excess, the state will have to step in.”Meanwhile, the department has identified over seven lakh suspicious beneficiaries based on eligibility norms set by both Centre and the state. Central criteria consider beneficiaries ineligible if their group annual income exceeds Rs 1.2 lakh, GST turnover crosses Rs 25 lakh, or if UIDAI records mark the person as deceased. Beneficiaries with more than 7.5 acres of land under the PM-Kisan database or those owning vehicles above a specified value are also flagged.The exclusion rule applies to permanent govt employees and staff of govt-run corporations who pay taxes, households owning more than three acres of land, urban houses exceeding 1,000sqft, families owning four-wheelers for non-commercial use, or those with annual incomes above Rs 1.2 lakh.Meanwhile, thousands of applications remain pending. As of Feb 22, nearly 1.8 lakh priority household (PHH) applications were awaiting disposal, with the highest numbers in Kalaburagi (26,941), Belagavi (16,712), and Bengaluru (16,475). Another 1.3 non-priority household (NPHH) cards are pending clearance, including 11,267 in Belagavi, 10,147 in Bengaluru South and 10,035 in Bengaluru West.In Sept 2023, the state suspended approval of new NPHH cards. Legislators were told that ineligible PHH cards were being converted into NPHH cards, and in Oct 2025 the govt directed officials to convert such cards while issuing an equal number of new priority cards to eligible applicants.Meanwhile, the food and civil supplies department stopped the open market sale scheme (domestic) of the Food Corporation of India in July 2023, which earlier supplied subsidised rice and wheat to NPHH beneficiaries.“Grains were distributed until Feb 2024, and rice distribution for NPHH ration cards were temporarily suspended,” Muniyappa said in a written reply to Vedavyasa Kamath, who represents Mangaluru South. Meanwhile, the state plans to revise the Rs 1.2 lakh annual income ceiling for ration card eligibility, acknowledging that the limit fixed in 2017 is outdated. “Administrative reforms commission headed by RV Deshpande has recommended increasing it to Rs 3 lakh. The food department will evaluate the appropriate revision,” health and family welfare minister Dinesh Gundu Rao told the House.
