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Need to review Centre’s criteria for BPL stressed

Staff Reporter

‘Criteria for inclusion unsuited to Kerala’

Kozhikode: Union Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed said he would hold discussions with the Prime Minister on issues such as the effective implementation of the Centrally-sponsored schemes and the changing of the criteria for inclusion into below the poverty line (BPL) category.

Mr. Ahamed was presiding over a meeting convened by the Vigilance and Monitoring Committee for Centrally-sponsored schemes at the Collectorate on Saturday. Many speakers at the meeting pointed out that the criteria for inclusion into the BPL category were not suited to Kerala and it had been under the consideration of the Centre for a long time. The criteria in the case of providing education benefits needed to be reviewed.

District president K.P. Kunhammedkutty said 40 lakh people in the State belonged to the BPL category. However, as per the criteria drawn up by the Centrally-sponsored projects, there would be just 10 lakh people in the BPL category. So, the authorities were unable to find beneficiaries for many of the Centrally-sponsored schemes, including the Indira Vikas Yojana.

The Rs.27,500 aid given under Indira Awaz Yojna scheme for house construction was insufficient in Kerala. It was pointed out that if the width of the road constructed under the Prime Minister’s Gramin Sadak Yojana was not reduced to five metres from the existing stipulation of eight metres, implementation of the project would be difficult.

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