Only ineligible BPL cards will be weeded out, no impact on eligible cardholders: CM Siddaramaiah
Bagalkote (Karnataka), Nov 17: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday clarified that only ineligible Below Poverty Line (BPL) cardholders will be weeded out, and there will be no impact on eligible cardholders.
The CM said that he had given strict instructions to the food and civil supplies department that those eligible should not be left out.
"BPL cards are not being cancelled...we have said that we will not give BPL cards to ineligible. Should we give BPL cards to those paying income tax or government servants? Such cases will be shifted to APL (Above Poverty Line) cards from BPL cards. Still, no decision has been made, but there is thinking in this direction," Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said the proposal still has not come before the Cabinet from the food and civil supplies department.
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"Those eligible should be given BPL cards and those ineligible have to be removed. If eligible, they will certainly be given. I have given strict instructions to the food and civil supplies department that those eligible should not be left out..." he added.
To a question on BJP challenging him to prove his allegation that Rs 50 crore bribe was offered by the party to 50 Congress MLAs to topple the Congress government, Siddaramaiah said, "they (BJP) have tried, but failed."
The CM also expressed confidence about Congress winning bypolls held for three Assembly segments -- Channapatna, Sandur and Shiggaon -- on November 13. Counting of votes will be held on November 23.
Reacting to a question on Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan recently referring to Union Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy as "Kaalia" and its implication on bypoll held in Channapatna, he said, "He should not have said such things, whatever relationship or affection they might have shared in the past. He (Khan) said certain things to which he (Kumaraswamy) also said things....what both have said is not right."
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
