State to aid poor left out in BPL list: Chouhan

Bhopal, July 27 (UNI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today announced in the Assembly that BPL families exceeding the Centre's criteria of maximum 37 per cent would be given subsidised foodgrains and kerosene from the state's own resources.

The Chief Minister made this announcement while intervening during the discussion on a call attention notice moved by Mr Satyadeo Katare (Cong) regarding the new below poverty line (BPL) list effective from April last year on the basis of the survey conducted in 2002-03.

''About 50 lakh families had been deleted from the list, while about five lakh ineligible families, including tractor owners, had been included in it'', Mr Katare said, adding many poor had been deprived of subsidised foodgrains and kerosene.

Mr Chouhan said the Centre had made the stipulation that the BPL families should not cross 37 per cent. If the number of poor exceeded the Centre's criteria, then the state government would use its own resources to extend relief to them, he said, adding the government would also ensure that no ineligible person was included nor any eligible was left out of the BPL list.

Mr Chouhan said the BPL families in the state stood at 44 lakh at present as compared to 36 lakh earlier.

Speaker Ishwardas Rohani claimed the government had acted on his earlier directive to verify the objections to ensure that no eligible was left out.

Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Rustam Singh, in his reply, said out of a total of 14.36 lakh claims and objections on the BPL list received till June 15, more than 12 lakh had been disposed of. Of them, 4,60,308 had been included, while 28,346 had been deleted. No complaint had been received till date about tractor owners getting placeed in the BPL list, he said, adding the poor were being provided foodgrains and kerosene on new ration cards.

UNI