New trick up Maya's sleeve for BPL votes
Piyush Srivastava
Lucknow, January 25, 2010
The Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh has claimed to have
identified more than three crore "real" below poverty line (BPL)
people, who were not on the Centre's list.
The National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) had listed only 1.7
crore beneficiaries in UP in its list.
The state's BPL count is under the direct supervision of the chief minister.
However, behind the projected commitment to poverty alleviation,
experts see shadows of vote-bank politics.
It is believed that the idea is to extend various benefits to
"state-recognised BPL persons and families" in the next two-and-a-half
years and prepare for the Assembly elections in 2012.
The state has said BPL people have been deprived of the benefits of
the Centre's poverty alleviation programmes.
It has been cancelling ration cards of those identified as "falsely
included" in the BPL list.
The BPL cards of 51,700 people, identified by the NSSO, were cancelled
in the past week. And many more stand to be cancelled.
The Mayawati government believes 50 per cent of the entries in the BPL
list were false.
Notwithstanding that the Centre depended on the state machinery for
its surveys, Mayawati said BPL persons were not benefiting from the
Centre's poverty alleviation schemes because of a faulty census.
On January 15, her 54th birthday, Mayawati had announced a financial
assistance scheme under which one member of each poor family was to be
entitled to Rs 300 a month.
"We have started the Mukhyamantri Mahamaya Garib Arthik Madad Yojna
for the poor deprived of the benefits of Central schemes. There will
be a monitoring cell in my office to ensure its smooth
implementation," Mayawati had said.
Centre-sponsored poverty alleviation schemes are normally executed by
the state's department of social welfare or rural development.
Mayawati has also issued a fresh instruction to the department of
civil supplies to conduct a state-wide survey to identify the "true
poor". Over 350 teams have been deployed in Lucknow alone for this
purpose and the BPL lists will be displayed in public places.
Jacob Thomas, the principal secretary of food and civil supplies,
said, "The verification of BPLs started recently. We found a large
number of non-BPL persons receiving the benefits meant for BPL
persons. The district administrations have been asked to conduct fresh
surveys and remove the false BPL entries." State Rural Development
Minister Daddu Prasad said, "Rich people are depriving poor dalits of
their rights under the BPL schemes. It is necessary to protect the
rights of the poor." But some experts said Mayawati was trying to
create a vote-bank and was sending a message that the Centre was not
serious about identifying the real poor.
"It will be no wonder if those deleted from the BPL list are included
again in her list in the coming months. (Mayawati is creating a) large
number of beneficiaries… snatching (some) from the centrally
identified (list)… She is creating strong group of followers," Kamal
Nayan Kabra, a former Indian Institute of Public Administration
professor and economist, said.
He said the state government appeared keen on projecting itself as the
real champion of the poor, rather than fighting to redefine "poverty
line". Earlier, the state government had requested the Centre for a
fresh BPL survey and an increase in the number of beneficiaries. The
state also wanted more funds under various schemes and a bigger
allocation of foodgrains.
"Poverty line under its present definition debars many really poor
families from enjoying the benefits of schemes such as 35 kg of rice
and wheat at subsidised rate from ration shops, old age pension scheme
and the Janani Suraksha Yojana. But the political benefits of such
programmes is foremost for the state," Kabra said.
There are many factors that can obstruct a proper census, he said.
They include a lack of vision among panchayat leaders responsible for
the count, a dominating middle class and political disconnect from
poor households at the local level. "A government needs to look at it
genuinely," he added.
Based on the 2001-02 price index, a household with an annual income
below Rs 19,984 per annum in rural areas and Rs 25,546 in urban areas
is considered as BPL in UP. This is based on the average daily intake
of less than 2,400 calories per person in rural areas and less than
2,100 calories per person in urban centres of the state.
A.K. Verma, a professor of political science at Christ Church College,
Kanpur, and writer on dalit politics in UP, said: "It is easy to
understand the mingling of politics and development. All political
parties have realised that there is no hope for them if they didn't
focus on development. So, Mayawati is trying to prepare a strong blend
of politics and development."
"It is a challenge for every political party in UP to secure dalit
votes and they are planning it accordingly," Verma added.
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