Economists call for change in criteria of BPL list

Patna, July 23: An urgent revision of the existing criteria for identification of the poor and preparation of a fresh list of people living Below Poverty Line (BPL) has become necessary here.

Deriving this, the three-day International Seminar on Poverty concluded here yesterday.

The call was aimed at providing succour to millions of the poor through various poverty alleviation schemes sponsored by the Centre and the state government as well.

Speaking at the seminar, the eminent economists felt that the existing 13-point criteria, followed by the Centre, for deciding the allocation of funds for the various poverty alleviation schemes, was deeply flawed and called for its urgent revision to get the desired results from the investment in this sector.

''The present methodology for identification of the poor is flawed and it affects the interests of a large number of poverty-stricken people as most of them get excluded during the household survey carried out under this standardisation,'' they maintained.

The seminar highlighted the need for evolving a multi-dimensional method for focussing on different constituent elements of poverty and deprivation and also for minimising the errors of the present one, which pass on the cost of the poor families of the society.

Advocating reforms in the police department, judiciary and payment of higher perks to civil officers, they said that factors might not be directly related to poverty alleviation but if the changes could be effected in these areas, it would contribute immensely in providing succour to the toiling masses.

''Reforms in judiciary and police would ultimately help in yielding higher growth, and it would also have positive repercussion on the results of poverty alleviation programmes,'' the economists noted.

Professor Pranab Bardhan of University of California, Professor Abhijit Banerjee of Cambridge University and Professor Alakh N.

Sharma were some of the important economists, who participated in the seminar, which was earlier inaugurated by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

UNI