murali772 - 20 July, 2012 | Bangalore | governance | Corruption | Urban Poor | Media Reports | ration card | food security

Thousands of people thronged to Yelahanka tahsildar’s office on Thursday demanding income certificates to get below poverty line (BPL) cards. However, they lost their temper when they found that there was only one counter to issue the certificates.

Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department on July 12, issued a circular that all the temporary BPL card holders have to submit income certificates (whose yearly income is less than Rs 15,000) before July 30, without which they cannot buy rations from fair price shops.

In Bangalore, there are at least 16 Nemmadi Kendras (centres) in various tahsildars’ offices and over 70 BangaloreOne centres where income certificates are issued. In Yelahanka hobli, these certificates are issued at the tahsildar’s office.

According to Rajashekhar, a resident of Jakkur, there are 146 villages under this region. There are more than 1.5 lakh people who are eligible for BPL cards. But here there is only one counter to issue certificates. “Only two people are here to do this job. The server is down. The power cut is frequent and there is no UPS service too. But the department has given 15 days from July 12, to submit the certificates. With less time, aspirants are confused and anxious. They are standing in long queues for hours together leaving their daily work. Some people are sleeping overnight at the tahsildar’s office braving biting cold, to collect the certificates,” he said.

Further, Rajashekhar said the department should give  at least three months to submit income certificates. “Also at the Nemmadi Kendras and the tahsildar office, they should open more counters so that the citizens spend less time,” he added.

For the full report in the New Indian express, click here.

Just yesterday, my servant maid told me that her ration shop-keeper asked her for the income certificate from the Tehsildar, and very helpfully also recommended to her a tout who will do the job for Rs 500/-.

As such, though the report pertains to Yelahanka, I expect the experience will be more orless the same across the city.

Between working in three different apartments in our complex, the maid earns around Rs 8000/- per month, though being a divorcee with three little children (she has some support from her parents and the church), that is her total family income. The question that arises is will the Tehsildar, or whoever is to issue the income certificate, accept her word for it? Even if he does, it obviously provides an avenue for him for making money under the table.

Just before the elections, the politicos order issual of BPL ration cards to whoever applies for it, in order to buy votes, but then landing up with more ration card holders than the population for a given area. Then they go about these kinds of drives providing opportunities for the babu's to make underhand money.

Essentially, government of, for and by the politico-babu nexus - people, particularly the aam-aadmi be damned!

Muralidhar Rao

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