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**Summary:**

Karnataka’s Food and Civil Supplies Minister, K.H. Muniyappa, announced plans to remove ineligible families from the Below Poverty Line (BPL) cardholder list after the monsoon session of the legislature. The state has the highest percentage of BPL families in South India (74%). 1. 5 million ineligible families were identified in the past, though less than 100,000 are utilizing the Public Distribution System (PDS). The government aims to clear a backlog of applications and issue new BPL cards after the ineligible families are removed from the list. While the Central government acknowledges 1.10 crore BPL cards, the state government caters to 17 lakh cardholders out of the total 1.28 crore BPL cards in the state.

**News Article:**

**Karnataka to Weed Out Ineligible BPL Cardholders**

**Bengaluru, August 18, 2025:** The Karnataka government is set to begin an exercise to remove ineligible families from its Below Poverty Line (BPL) cardholder list, according to Food and Civil Supplies Minister K.H. Muniyappa. The announcement came during a session of the Legislative Council. The purge is planned to commence following the conclusion of the monsoon session of the Karnataka legislature.

Minister Muniyappa highlighted that Karnataka has the highest percentage of BPL families among South Indian states, with 74% of families holding BPL cards. This figure significantly surpasses the 50% threshold in other southern states.

Responding to queries from legislators, Muniyappa stated that roughly 1.5 million families had previously been identified as ineligible for BPL cards. He added that action would be taken to remove these families from the BPL list, which would then open up the possibility of issuing fresh cards to those who are eligible. “Not even one lakh families, out of the 15 lakh ineligible families identified, is buying rice from PDS stores,” he claimed.

He also addressed the backlog of BPL card applications, revealing that 3.22 lakh new applications are pending. The government has already cleared 2.14 lakh applications out of the 2.95 lakh applications which were pending from the previous government.

The state government is determined to address the disparity between the number of cards acknowledged by the Central government (1.10 crore) and the total number served by the state (1.28 crore), with the state catering to 17 lakh cardholders not covered by the central scheme.

The move aims to ensure that benefits reach genuinely deserving families and optimize the distribution of resources under the Public Distribution System (PDS).

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