Knock, knock, CM here… Home delivery of govt cards by Bommai stuns citizens

November 2, 2021

Malliga, who is over 75 years old, shifted to Bengaluru from a small village in Tamil Nadu many years ago. She lives alone in Palace Guttahalli in Malleswaram. Once in a way, her son gives her some money, and sometimes, neighbours give her food.
On Monday, she was dumbfounded when Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai walked up to her house and gave her an old age pension card. It means that she gets a little money from next month. “I had applied for this card two years ago, but it was rejected. Now, I got the same from none other than the CM. I can never forget this,’’ she gushed. And what did she say to the CM? “I didn’t say anything, but he (CM) took my blessing. It felt so nice,’’ Malliga said.
Nasir (74) and his wife Asmathunissa (68) also got their senior citizen cards. “We were ready in the morning, and waiting for the Chief Minister. He came to our house and we are very happy,’’ said Nasir, who was a cab driver. They did not run from pillar to post, and instead got the applications from the CM himself.
Bommai, along with Higher Education Minister and Malleswaram MLA Dr CN Ashwath Narayan, walked to doorsteps of citizens as part of ‘Janasevaka’, the scheme where government authorities deliver 56 services to citizens’ doorsteps.

At a few selected houses, they delivered Residential Certificate, Income and Caste Certificate, Khata, Widow Pension, Labour Card, Senior Citizen Card, Aadhaar Card, Ayushman Health Card and other documents. They initially planned to use two-wheelers but decided against it. After covering two roads, the CM stopped for samosa and coffee.
Some were disappointed, like Prema, who had applied for widow pension. She was told the CM would visit her house and had kept it clean and tidy. “The CM may not have come because of time constraint. I was disappointed,’’ she said.