From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Jun 9: Who are the real poor? What is the income limit of poverty?

While the country is yet to find satisfactory answers to these questions, Karnataka has decided to revise the annual income limit of the poor. Consequently, the annual income limit of BPL families will see almost four-fold jump.

According to Karnataka’s Social Welfare Minister A Narayanaswamy, the State Government would be shortly issuing an order raising annual income ceiling from Rs. 11,000 to Rs. 40,000 to declare families as below poverty line (BPL) in rural areas and to Rs. 50,000 in urban areas.

The BPL classification will help candidates of general and backward classes to avail reservation in education and employment.

Many families have been denied benefits of various schemes on account the current annual income limit at Rs. 11,000 fixed long ago, the minister said explaining the rationale for enhancing the annual income limit for deciding the BPL norm.

Students belonging to poor families rush to taluk offices to seek income certificates which would help to them obtain fee discount and get scholarships at the commencement of the academic year. Raising the income limit would help eligible families avail benefits under anti-poverty schemes of the social welfare department, he said.

Narayanaswamy said the government would issue the order in a few days so that students belonged to poor families can obtain the benefits in the current academic year itself.

He admitted that the ceiling on annual income was fixed a long time ago and had lost its relevance. Increase in the income limit would facilitate backward classes to avail of reservation in education and employment.

The Minister revealed that 10 per cent of gram panchayats across the State have not spent a single rupee out of the allocated money meant for welfare of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in the last fiscal.

As per the constitutional provision, the government has to set aside 22.7 per cent of the total budgetary allocations for welfare of SCs and STs.

Nearly 40 per cent of urban local bodies such as town panchayats, town municipal councils and city municipalities have not used more than 30 per cent of the funds released for the schemes for the benefit of SCs and STs in the last fiscal, he said.

The government allocates nearly Rs. 1000 crore in a year for under the special component plan (SCP) for upliftment of the SCs and STs.

He blamed the officials for not utilizing funds sanctioned under the SCP for welfare of SCs and STs and directed the Directorate of Civil Rights to submit reports regarding officials’ apathy in utilizing the funds.

The Minister, who reviewed the progress of implementation of schemes in 18 districts, revealed that the Regional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and Chief Executive Officers had no idea at all about the type of lands where SC and ST families have been residing for years.

Even after many years of their stay in colonies, SC and ST families have not been issued title deeds by officials, Narayanaswamy said and promised to set right things soon.