Hundreds of slum residents and workers from across the city staging a demonstration on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN
Tension looms large for Meenamma, a 60-year-old resident of Janatha Colony in West Bengaluru diagnosed with breast cancer, after her neighbours received notices about the cancellation of their BPL cards due to their sons’ salaries exceeding the stipulated income limit.Although Meenamma has not yet received a notice, she fears the news could come at any moment, which would mean she could no longer use her BPL card to access essential medicines.“My three sons left me and are living separately, but their names are still linked to all my identity cards, which shows that I will be above the poverty line; however, the reality is different. I am afraid they will cancel my card as they did to my friends,” Meenamma lamented. Meanwhile, those who have received notices worry about losing their ration in the coming months, which would add to their financial burden.Meenamma was among more than 50 people who gathered near the Department of Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs on Wednesday to submit a memorandum to the commissioner, highlighting what they term as “unscientific” implementation of the cancellation drive.The memorandum pointed out a major flaw in the process, noting that the income criteria for BPL cards were set in 2017, but since then the cost of essential commodities has risen significantly. It questioned how the same outdated income limit could still be applied to determine BPL eligibility.It further stated that BPL cards provide access to various benefits, including student scholarships, treatment in government hospitals, and medicines. If cancellations are carried out unscientifically, poor families will face severe hardship.The memorandum cited examples of lapses in implementation. An Uber driver’s card was cancelled because he owns a four-wheeler. Many contract workers, who lack permanent jobs, earn a salary of around ₹15,000, but since TDS is deducted from their pay, their cards have been cancelled, citing that they are paying tax, which means they are above the poverty line. However, these workers often go months without employment and rely on BPL cards for rations. Additionally, many families have not collected rations for two months due to store closures. Now, those who have not taken rations are being classified as above the poverty line, the memorandum said.Muniyamma, a 60-year-old resident of Haleguddadahalli with a heart condition, depends on her BPL card for medicines. “I used to work as a ragpicker, and my thumbprint is not recognised by the fingerprint system. Since I haven’t collected rations for a few months, they may cancel my card. Where should I go now?” she asked.Govindamma, 57, faces the same problem. Similarly, Sagay Mary, 58, said she was denied a ration on Tuesday after being told her BPL card had been cancelled.However, sources in the Consumer Affairs Department said no BPL cards have been cancelled yet, except in cases where a person holds two cards in different States. “We are currently focusing only on people with duplicate cards. If anyone is wrongly rejected, they can file a complaint on the 1967 helpline,” the source said.The source further clarified that the department is not verifying all cards but only those among the over 7 lakh dubious cards flagged by the central government. If a name is wrongly deleted, the affected person can approach the tahsildar and submit an application, which will be reviewed, and re-addition will be made. Published - September 24, 2025 10:21 pm IST
