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Govt. asks Centre to lift curbs on BPL enrolment

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI SEPT. 15. Throwing the ball back into the court of the BJP-led Central Government, the Sheila Dikshit Government today asked the Vajpayee Government to lift the restriction on enrolment of number of people under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) scheme and lowering the price of levy sugar sold from Public Distribution System (PDS) outlets to the levels of the other foodgrains available under this scheme.

The Delhi Food and Supplies Minister, Haroon Yusuf, conveyed this to the Union Food Distribution and Public Affairs Minister, Sharad Yadav, when he called on the former at his office this afternoon. Later talking to newsmen Mr. Yusuf said the Planning Commission had fixed a limit of 4.09 lakh beneficiaries under the BPL scheme, which was inadequate for a city like Delhi, which had a huge population and people coming from all parts of the country. The large number of slum clusters and unauthorised colonies alone housed around 60 to 70 lakh people and to fix such a limit was not feasible. He said the Delhi Government had nearly 70,000 forms for enrolment into the BPL scheme pending which had been verified but could not be issued BPL cards due to the ceiling fixed by the Planning Commission. "It would therefore be appropriate that this limit was revised and made practical so that those who had been deprived of this benefit can avail of it."

Mr. Yusuf also pleaded with Mr. Yadav that the request of the Delhi Government, which had been made several times in the past, for enhancement of monetary limit for availing the BPL scheme be raised from Rs. 24,200 to Rs. 50,000. "The Delhi Vidhan Sabha had also passed a resolution in this connection but unfortunately the Central Government had not taken notice of that till date." In fact, Mr. Yusuf said, he had stressed the need to have a different criterion for rural and urban areas as both had a different set-up and categories of people and could not be weighed in the same manner.

The Minister said he had also raised the issue of levy sugar being sold at Rs. 13.50 paise per kg from the PDS outlets when it is easily available in the open market between Rs. 13.75 paise per king to Rs. 14 per kg. He said while wheat was available to the people under the BPL scheme at Rs. 4 per kg and rice at Rs. 6 per kg, for those covered under the Anantodya programme, it was priced at Rs. 2 per kg and Rs. 3 per kg. This had created a disparity in the entire system and made the PDS outlets for sugar distribution unattractive. There was an urgent need to set this anomaly right and reduce the price of levy sugar for the poor and those below the poverty line.

Appreciating the concerns of the Delhi Government, Mr. Sharad Yadav said the matter regarding reducing the price of levy sugar was something in which he was helpless, as everything would have to be done on all India basis. He also informed that the Union Finance Ministry will not accept such a proposal and expressed his inability to do anything in this regard. The meeting with Mr. Yadav comes after allegations by the Delhi BJP that the Delhi Government was not doing enough for those under the BPL scheme and was not lifting the rations being granted to it by the Central Government. But the Delhi Government, which has contest the claims and figures submitted by the BJP leaders, has denied the allegation.

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