From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, May 30: In a move to weed out bogus ration card holders, the State Government has decided to lodge criminal case against all such persons.

''Our intention is to eliminate the large number of bogus ration card holders, who are affecting the effectiveness and efficiency of the Anna Bhagya scheme,” the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said.

Addressing a function after inaugurating the renovated Press Club Bhavan in Bangalore on Friday, the chief minister said the bogus ration card holders were indulging in malpractices and even blackmarketeering of the foodgrains supplied by the Government to help eradicate the hunger among the poorest of the poor belonging to the Below Poverty Line families at Rupee 1 per kg.

Asking all the bogus ration card holders immediately surrender them or get them cancelled without facing any problems, the Chief Minister said ''no leniency will be shown after the initiation of the process of filing criminal cases against the bogus ration card holders.”

Under the Ksheera Bhagya scheme, milk was being supplied to 1.04 crore school children.

A total of 8.5 lakh litres of milk was being supplied for schoolchildren a day.

The supply of milk thrice a week to school children from first to tenth standard and also to all Anganawadi children would help in tackling the malnutrition problem among the students and also help the milk farmers, he said.

During the last one year, he said the government has presented the revised state budget for 2013-14 and the full budget for 2014-15.

The model code of conduct was enforced in the State for a period of three months on account of by-elections to the Lok Sabha and the 16th Lok Sabha elections.

A total of 90 out of 160 promises made during the Assembly elections have been implemented during the first year in office, he said.

The government has implemented the flagship schemes of Anna Bhagya and Ksheera Bhayga schemes and extended welfare benefits to below poverty line families and schoolchildren, respectively.

The subsidy amount for the Anna Bhagya scheme increased from Rs 900 crore to Rs 4300 crore a year on account of distribution of rice to 1.02 crore BPL families at one rupee per kg (total 30 kg a month) a family.

The Chief Minister said the government’s aim was to make Karnataka free from hunger.

''Karnataka will be one among the five top ranking progressive states in the country in the next four years,” he said declaring that the Government was determined to make the State hunger free and slums free over the next four years.

A total of 3.5 lakh houses would be constructed in 2014-15 against construction of 3.17 houses in 2013-14. The housing subsidy has been increased from Rs 75,000 to Rs 1.20 lakh a unit.

''Another aim of my government is to make the State free from hutments," the Chief Minister said.

The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department has constructed 5.05 lakh houses against the target of 6 lakh houses in the last fiscal year.

The Article 371J of the Constitution was implemented to give a special status to the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, he said.