Poverty survey finds its results contested

Village panchayats in Vadangali, Thangaon, Khadangali, Pathare, Varegaon, Vavi (Sinnar block), Roze, Zodge, Pimpalgaon (Malegaon block), and Balhegaon Bharam, Savargaon, Dhamode, Ganeshpuri, Panjarwadi (Yeola block) have refused to accept the results and have demanded a fresh survey.

According to an official of the District Rural Development Agency, under the new norms for enlisting BPL families, the income limit has beenrevised from Rs 16,000 per annum to Rs 20,000 per annum. Two forms `A’ and `B’ are being filled by enumerators. Only those fulfilling the norms in form `A’ are enumerated in form `B’.

The norms in form `A’ include: Annual income below Rs 20,000 per annum — even if the income of a single member of the family exceeds the limit, the entire family is excluded from the BPL list. Those possessing more than two hectares of land, a pucca house, a television set, an LPG connection, telephone, refrigerator, ceiling fan, two-wheeler, electric pump, tractor or mechanised agricultural implements, do not quality for BPL status.

Those fulfilling the requirements in form `A’ are enumerated in form `B’ in which the names of the family members, their age, caste, education, occupation, animals owned (goats, cows, sheep and the like) and benefits availed of from the previous BPL list are listed. The annual income of the family is arrived at by taking into consideration the expenditure incurred in the month precedingthe enumeration.

The official said the exact figure of people excluded from the new list would be available only after the fresh survey was complete. He however asserted that village panchayats had “no right” to reject the lists. The officials’ duty was merely to read out the names of families included in the list, he pointed out.

Such families are entitled to financial assistance from the government under the IRDP for starting domestic businesses and are given goats, cows or help in setting up minor irrigation infrastructure to enhance their income to bring them above the poverty line.

The IRDP is funded by the Central and the State governments, each sharing 50 per cent of the subsidies and loans granted to the beneficiaries. The last poverty survey was conducted in 1992. The findings were published in 1995, sending shock waves in government circles as 70 per cent of the people of Maharashtra (4.84 crore) were listed below the poverty line. The Manohar Joshi government then ordered a fresh survey in1996, ordering a re-check on the families listed.

In Nashik district, the number of BPL families rose from 1.5 lakh in 1982 to a whopping 4.16 lakh in 1995. Thorough checking and elimination of the BPL list reduced the figure to 3.80 lakh. The fresh survey is likely to reduce the figure further.

The figures of earlier surveys had been inflated as village teachers and gram sevaks were allegedly pressured by local politicians to include their names in the list. The fresh survey, with its new norms, now seems to have invited the wrath of grassroot politicians, who thrive on the support of the rural poor.