Over 12,000 ineligible families given BPL card

The Haryana government has revised its list of below poverty line (BPL) families in Panchkula district after it found that thousands of families in the list were ineligible for government benefits

The Haryana government has revised its list of below poverty line (BPL) families in Panchkula district after it found that thousands of families in the list were ineligible for government benefits like loans on lesser interest rate and assistance from government to build houses.

The ineligible families around 12,000 had been found to be possessing scooters and cars and even large land holdings. The District Administration has not only issued instructions that any fresh benefits passed on to the families should warrant action against officials by making recovery of the money from them for the loss to the exchequer it has also set into motion the process to act tough against the officials who fraudulently prepared the list due to which the government suffered the losses.

Around 39 officials have been identified,including government teachers and Anganwari workers,against whom the District Administration has sought action from their departments for not checking the records properly during the preparation of the BPL list.

The district officials have found that there have been irregularities in the preparation of the list in both the rural and urban parts of Panchkula. While the government has found that as many as 4932 BPL card holders are ineligible for the benefits in the rural parts of the district,7607 families were found to be ineligible in the urban parts of the city. Now,not more than 8,700 families are eligible for the government benefits as BPL families.

Government officials said it was found during a recent review that the BPL list was drawn fraudulently in the district and they have also identified officials who were tasked with carrying out a checking before making the list. They said losses to the state exchequer are heavy as it has been found that the benefits were extended to the ineligible families for schemes like Indra Awas Yojna,under which money is given to the poor to build houses,as well as schemes like lesser interest loans for setting up income-generating units.

Deputy Commissioner,Panchkula,S S Phulia,said action will be taken against officials who prepared the fraudulent list.

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