Nitish favours uniform national standard for BPL list

Patna, Feb 5 (UNI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today favoured a uniform standard for preparing list of the people of Below Poverty Line (BPL) across the country.

Mr Kumar said the BPL list should be prepared on the basis of 16 ''standard points instead of existing 13 points''.

If the Centre approved new suggestions then at least more 35 lakh people in Bihar would be benefitted.

'' Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured considering the demands for preparation of BPL list on the basis of 16 points,'' Mr Kumar informed.

Referring to a demand of Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, Mr Kumar said renaming of Patna as Azimabad was not a serious issue. He said basic issues were of poverty and employment, which should be addressed first.

He advised the people in the border areas to be vigilant in the wake of unrest in neighbouring Nepal following agitation of the ''Madhesias'' in that country.

When asked about the demand of Union Rural Development minister Raghu Vansh Prasad Singh for shifting of Lord Buddha relics to Vaishali from Patna museum, he said the matter should not be politicised.

UNI