Bengaluru, Nov 26: Karnataka minister K H Muniyappa on Monday said the officials have been instructed to restore the Below Poverty Line and Above Poverty Line ration cards as they existed earlier.

The Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister said the decision to this effect was taken in a meeting on November 21 on the orders of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Muniyappa said he has instructed officials to correct all the ration cards by November 28 and distribute rice to the BPL ration card holders with all the facilities.

This comes after some confusion in the state over the cancellation of many Below Poverty Line ration cards while the list of BPL families was being revised. The minister clarified that there was no need to worry for the eligible beneficiaries.

"Steps are being taken to ensure that the eligible beneficiaries are not inconvenienced, and the ineligible ration cards of taxpayers and government employees will be transferred to APL," he said.

The minister underlined that the state government has introduced pro-poor schemes for the benefit of economically weaker sections.

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New Delhi, Nov 26: RPI(A) leader Ramdas Athawale, a key BJP ally, on Tuesday called for a quick decision on the next chief minister of Maharashtra and suggested that incumbent Eknath Shinde should shift to the Centre as a Union minister.

Addressing a press conference here, Athawale also backed senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as the next chief minister of Maharashtra, contending that the saffron party won the maximum number of seats in the 288-member Assembly and should have the right to the top executive post in the state.

He said a peculiar situation has arisen in Maharashtra where BJP leaders want Fadnavis as the chief minister, while Shiv Sena leaders want Shinde to continue in the post, citing the good work he has done over the last two and a half years.

Athawale, the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, said NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has declared that he was not in the race for the chief minister.

"We need to resolve this matter, without any further delay. The election results were announced on November 23 and we should have had the oath of the new chief minister on November 26, the Constitution Day," Athawale said.

Backing Fadnavis for the post of chief minister, Athawale said Shinde can become the deputy chief minister or shift to the Centre and join the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Athawale said his RPI(A) has a presence in every part of the state, but unfortunately lost the two seats -- Dharavi and Kalina -- offered to it in the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections.

He demanded that an RPI member be made an MLC and a minister in the state government.

The BJP-led Mahayuti won a landslide victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections winning 235 seats in the 288-member House. The BJP won 132 seats, followed by Shinde-led Shiv Sena (57) and Ajit Pawar-led NCP (41). Smaller parties, who are part of the alliance, won five seats.