49% of Meghalaya's popultaion Below Poverty Line

Shillong, June 02 (UNI) As high as 49 per cent of Meghalaya's population lives in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) margin while the East Garo Hills district has topped the BPL list in the state with 55.94 per cent families living in abject poverty.

Official sources said here today that in the Jaintia Hills district, the number of such families registered was the least with only 33.51 per cent living below the poverty line.

Similarly, the Ri-Bhoi district recorded 49.94 per cent of such families with altogether 32,590 households in the BPL list.

Both the East Khasi and West Khasi Hills districts recorded the BPL families at 46.74 and 47.66 per cent respectively as per the 2002 census.

Of the total 63,951 households in West Khasi Hills, 30,480 are BPL families while East Khasi hills has 1,09,115 households out of which 50,999 families are BPL.

About 53.71 per cent households are BPL in West Garo Hills where of the total 95,699 households, 51,400 are in the BPL category. In East and South Garo hills, the percentage of BPL families recored during 2002 was 55.94 and 45.33 per cent respectively.

UNI PB DPM AB 1302