THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While a debate is raging over the number of families that could be listed as below the poverty line (BPL) in the State, the previous Government had reportedly not taken any action on the Central Government decision fixing the number at 9.327 lakh, it is learnt.

This has been revealed at a time when the fate of the health insurance scheme for BPL families was caught in a row between the Central and State Governments. While the State Government claimed that there were 25 lakh BPL families in the State, the Centre had clarified three years ago that only 9.327 lakh families were eligible to be included in the list and it would not exceed 10.02 lakh by any count. Former Union Minister for Rural Development Shanta Kumar, in a letter to the then Chief Minister A.K. Antony on January 30, 2003, had clarified that the maximum number of BPL families in the State would not exceed 10.02 lakh. Mr. Kumar said that the number of persons identified through the BPL census held in 2002 should not exceed the number of people living below the poverty line estimated by the Planning Commission for 1999-2000 for the rural sector and thus the Centre had fixed it at 9.327 lakh. An additional 10 per cent may be permitted to account for the transient poor so that it could go up to 10.02 lakh, the letter said.

Mr.Kumar said that the BPL census, which covers all the rural households in the country, should reflect a realistic picture of the poverty situation in various States, particularly in view of the refined methodology adopted for the census in 2002.

When Mr. Antony sought a clarification about the number of families that could be classified as BPL, Mr.Kumar said that the matter was taken up with the Planning Commission and the poverty ratio of 1999-2000 was not used by the Rural Development Ministry as the criterion for allocating funds.

The adjusted shares, arrived at according to the new living index, were being used as the main criterion for allocating funds to the States. The number of BPL families according to the adjusted shares was much more than the number arrived at according to the poverty estimates in 1999-2000 except in the case of the North-Eastern region and some Union Territories.

Hence, the Centre had decided to fix the number of BPL families in the State at 10.02 lakh, including the transient poor, Mr.Kumar said. Official sources told The Hindu Hindu that the previous Government did not initiate any follow up action and now the implementation of the health insurance scheme for BPL families also was caught in the dispute. The Government had decided to take up the issue once again with the Centre and seek a clarification on fixing the limits, sources said.

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