Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday ordered the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department to start the fourth phase of the Below Poverty Line (BPL) identification survey from February 1.
While chairing a departmental meeting, Sukhu said the state government is committed to ensuring that every eligible family is included in the BPL list so they can benefit from various welfare schemes.
"The survey is being conducted in five phases to ensure that no deserving poor family is deprived of its rightful entitlements," the chief minister said.
During the first three phases, a total of 59,829 families have already been added to the BPL list across the state. District-wise, 2,204 families were identified in Bilaspur, 13,786 in Chamba, 3,480 in Hamirpur, 10,807 in Kangra, 1,109 in Kinnaur, 2,957 in Kullu, 206 in Lahaul-Spiti, 12,045 in Mandi, 4,522 in Shimla, 1,277 in Sirmaur, 1,567 in Solan, and 5,869 in Una district.
Sukhu said families eligible for inclusion include orphans up to 27 years of age, households with members above 59 years, and families with persons with disabilities aged between 27 and 59 years.
“Additionally, families headed by women with no adult male members between 27 and 59 years of age, as well as families where the head of the household has a disability of 50 per cent or more, are also to be covered under BPL,” he said.
He also said that families who worked for at least 100 days under the MGNREGA scheme during the previous financial year will be considered eligible. He added that households with earning members suffering from chronic illnesses such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, muscular dystrophy, haemophilia, or any condition leading to permanent disability will also be included. The government has further decided to cover families living in concrete houses who have received financial assistance under state or central housing schemes.
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