Thousands of families that were on the existing Below Poverty Line (BPL) lists have been removed in the fourth phase survey conducted by the state government for the selection of new eligible families, leading to a lot of resentment among people in the Dehra and Jaswan-Pragpur Assembly constituencies of Kangra district.
Due to the new guidelines of the government for the selection of BPL beneficiaries, numerous deserving and needy underprivileged families, especially in the rural areas of Kangra district, have been removed from the renewed lists.
The Rural Development Department completed the fourth phase survey of BPL beneficiaries on February 25. The survey data reveals a drastic reduction in the number of BPL families in Dehra and Paragpur development blocks.
In Dehra block, only 496 families figure on the revised BPL list. In the first, second and third phases, 195, 156 and 95 families were selected while in the fourth phase, only 50 families were added to the revised BPL list. Kamlesh Thakur, wife of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, represents the Dehra constituency.
Earlier, 3,946 families were on the BPL list in Dehra block. Inquiries reveal that 2,683 needy families had applied for their inclusion in the new BPL list being prepared according to the new government guidelines but only 496 families were found to be eligible.
In Paragpur represented by BJP legislator Bikram Thakur, 692 families figure on the new BPL list. The Rural Development Department had selected 278, 151 and 166 families in the first, second and third phases of the survey in Paragpur block. In the fourth phase, only 97 families fulfilled the BPL selection criteria.
Earlier, 3,295 families were on the BPL list but now only 692 families figure on the new list. The stringent guidelines issued by the state government have resulted in the removal of around 80 per cent of the beneficiaries from the BPL lists in Kangra district.
The names of Suresh Kumar, Rakesh Kumar, Kamal Kishore and Sanjay Kumar do not figure on the new BPL list in Paragpur development block. They say that though their annual income is less than Rs 50,000, their names have been struck off due to the new stringent conditions.
Bikram Thakur alleges that the state government has as part of a conspiracy downsized the existing BPL lists and deprived a large number of deserving families of their rightful benefits.
Inquiries reveal that the previous BPL list was prepared in 2018 during the BJP regime and panchayat level gram sabhas were authorized to select eligible BPL families but now the whole process to select the beneficiaries has been altered.
A block-level committee (BLC) comprising the SDM, Block Development Officer (BDO) and Panchayat Inspector as members has been constituted.
The aspirants have to submit their applications for inclusion in the BPL list to the panchayat secretary and the panchayat-level committee comprising the panchayat secretary, Patwari and an anganwari worker will shortlist the eligible families and submit its recommendation to the block-level committee for the final call.
