Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Rizwan Arshad said on Tuesday (September 1) that the State government would take steps to bring eligible economically disadvantaged families into the Public Distribution System (PDS) and weed out ineligible beneficiaries after completing the mandatory e-KYC process.

Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Mr. Arshad said the exercise would take some time as the government needed to examine the existing PDS database and identify eligible and ineligible families. The process of examining the system had already begun and could take about three months, he said.

“Many eligible and deserving poor families are out of the system, while several ineligible families are availing themselves of the benefits meant for the poor. This needs to be corrected and streamlined,” the Minister said.

He said eligible cards would not be cancelled immediately and that any deletion would be undertaken only after the verification process and in accordance with the provisions for adding eligible beneficiaries.

Mr. Arshad said around 4.5 crore people were currently availing themselves of benefits under the PDS.

Referring to the income ceiling for PDS benefits, he said families with an annual income of less than ₹1.2 lakh were eligible under the existing norms. However, considering inflation and the rise in prices, the government would have to examine whether the income ceiling needed to be revised.

“We need to study whether the existing guidelines should continue. After a thorough examination and discussions with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, appropriate steps will be initiated,” he said.

The Minister said he would also discuss the matter with the Chief Minister and seek his advice before taking corrective measures.

This was Mr. Arshad’s first visit to Mysuru after assuming office as Minister, and he received a warm welcome from his supporters, who greeted him with giant garlands.

However, the extensive display of flex banners and posters put up by his supporters on roads leading to the Congress office near the railway station and surrounding areas drew criticism from local residents.

Later, Mr. Arshad met Tanveer Sait, former Minister and Narasimharaja MLA. Mr. Sait, a six-time MLA, had been a strong aspirant for a ministerial berth, which was not offered to him. The decision had led to resentment among his supporters, who had staged protests on several occasions seeking justice.