The Hindu : National : New parameters for BPL category notified

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Thursday, Mar 23, 2006

National

National

New parameters for BPL category notified

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Centre has notified 13 new parameters for defining below poverty line (BPL) category of people in the country. It has done away with the earlier definition based on food calories or annual earnings.

The revised definition is based on landholding, type of dwelling, clothing, food security, hygiene, capacity for buying commodities, literacy, minimum wages earned by the household, means of livelihood, education of children, debt, migration and priority for assistance. The matter had been stayed by the Supreme Court and has now been vacated, Union Minister for Rural Development Raghuvansh Prasad Singh told Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Replying to a discussion on the functioning of his Ministry, Mr. Singh said the earliest definition of BPL in 1979 was based on consumption of 2,100 calories in urban areas and 2,400 calories for rural areas. In 1991-92, a household with an annual income of Rs. 11,000 was placed under the BPL category. In 1997, this criterion was raised to Rs. 20,000 per annum. In 2002 it was based on the 13 parameters. All village panchayats would have to display the number of BPL at the panchayat-ghars or schools for "transparency."

Not happy with allocation

Although the rural development allocation had been raised from Rs. 24,000 crore to Rs. 31,000 crore, he agreed with members that "he was not happy with the allocation made to the Rural Development Ministry."

Saying that the two major problems facing the country were poverty and unemployment, he said if the country could address the problem of unemployment then poverty would get solved. The commitment of the Ministry was to eradicate poverty by the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan in 2012.

He said the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme "guarantees" 100 days of employment during the lean season.

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