By IANS,
Kolkata: West Bengal will send a revised list of people living below poverty line (BPL) by the end of June to the central government for approval, state Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee said Saturday.
The relevant estimate by the state government – 46.6 percent – is higher than that made by the Planning Commission at 28.3 percent of people below poverty line in West Bengal, Mukherjee told reporters here.
“As per our estimates, close to 18 percent of the population should be added to the existing list. If the revised list is accepted by the centre, the state will be entitled to more funds,” said Mukherjee.
But the state can only send the revised list to the central government for its approval for the benefits to be extended to all those who fit the criteria.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has directed that the revised BPL list in the state should be prepared at the earliest.
Citing irregularities in the BPL list prepared by the previous Left Front government, Banerjee had announced distribution of food grains to all families in Maoist-affected regions of the state.
The state administration has also launched a drive to seize fake ration cards. According to the Food Department, there are reports of about 1.9 crore fake ration cards in the state, of which nearly 5 million have been recovered in the last one year.