PANJIM: Weeks after Minister for Civil Supplies Dayanand Mandrekar informed the Goa Assembly that there are none in the State living below poverty line (BPL), his own department figures contradicted this by stating that the State had nearly 17,000 families registered as BPL. However, there are no BPL families in Fatorda, Dabolim and Cortalim constituencies.
Tribal Minister Ramesh Tawadkar’s Canacona constituency has the highest number of BPL cardholders – 2,008, followed by Leader of Opposition Pratapsing Rane’s Poriem constituency with 1,991, Vishwajit Rane’s Valpoi constituency with 1,222 and Kiran Kandolkar’s Tivim constituency with 1,382. Bicholim (939), Quepem (845), Aldona (772) Mapusa (723), Sanqulim (611) and Sanguem (542) constituencies also have a sizable number of BPL families.
The figures tabled in the House showed that the constituencies such as Navelim (2), Taleigao (2), Vasco (3), Mandrem (4) and Mormugao (5) have the least number of BPL registered families.
Mandrekar had on August 4, while replying to the demand for grants for Civil Supplies had shockingly told the House that after the implementation of Dayanand Social Security Scheme (DSSS), Griha Aadhar and other financial schemes that there are no BPL families in Goa.
According to statistics, the State has over 3.82 lakh families above poverty line with 3,82,745 APL card holders registered in the State. The highest number is in Vasco (16,341) and Ponda (16,768). The Minister has assured to increase the ration quota from 80 per cent to 100 per cent to APL families during the festive season. He said that the quota was reduced following lack of demand from APL segment.
Meanwhile, Mandrekar said that a 1,000 bogus ration cards existing in the State would be discarded once the digitization process was completed by September 2015. He said that the digitalization of ration cards have already begun and Bardez taluka would be the first one to have their documents in the digital format by September 15, this year.
“We are aware about 1000s of bogus ration cards existing in the State. Once the process is digitized, we will decipher the genuine cards, while rest would be automatically discarded,” he said during Question Hour.
Mandrekar said of the total 70,000 ration cards, only 44,000 people turned up for digitization of the cards in Bardez taluka, indicating the extend of bogus cards existing in the State. “We have already cancelled over 1,800 bogus ration cards in Bardez alone when they were brought to our notice,” Mandrekar added.
