Udupi: Karnataka has paused the cancellation of additional BPL ration cards until a detailed review is completed, Rizwan Arshad, minister for food, civil supplies & consumer affairs, said on Saturday.Speaking to reporters, Arshad said the Centre had provided data identifying around 7.5 lakh ration cards for cancellation and that nearly four lakh cards had already been cancelled on its directions.“I have directed officials to stop any further cancellations until we can thoroughly review the situation. The remaining 3.5 lakh pending cancellations are on hold. I will consult the state govt to determine our next steps,” he said.Arshad urged all ration cardholders, including BPL and APL beneficiaries, to complete KYC by Sept 30.The Centre has directed the state to conduct the KYC drive again, requiring verification of 2.59 crore ration cards. He said the exercise would help the state assess the actual situation, including the death of cardholders and identification of ineligible BPL beneficiaries.He said discussions would also be held at the govt level on issuing new BPL cards in the state.Arshad said Karnataka qualifies for broader coverage under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), but the central govt has capped the state’s beneficiaries at 4 crore. The state would expand NFSA coverage by adding 50 lakh more people if the central govt permits, he said.The minister said he would meet the Union minister to discuss the issue.Responding to BJP’s criticism of minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan for writing to the chief minister expressing his inability to participate in the Independence Day flag-hoisting ceremony in Vijayanagara district, Arshad questioned the opposition party’s moral authority.“BJP has no moral right to question the Congress leader. For 52 years, the RSS headquarters in Nagpur did not hoist the Tricolour. It is not right for them to teach us morality. Zameer Ahmed Khan refused the district in-charge responsibility because of other responsibilities,” said Arshad.On a query, he said the new Use of Government Premises and Public Property Bill does not target any particular organisation.
