Concerned over the plight of poor suffering from various ailments, single or widow women and Divyang, the Mandi district administration in Himachal Pradesh has started a new initiative to include them under Below Poverty Line (BPL) list.

“There are many requests for reimbursement of medical expenses or assistance on humanitarian grounds almost every day and most of them belong to poor section of society,” Rugved Thakur, Deputy Commissioner, Mandi told The Statesman.

And most of the times, when they are asked whether they are included in BPL list, their response is always in negative.

“The reason, these people don’t have say in the Gram Sabha in their respective areas,” Thakur said, adding such persons are eligible to be included in BPL list.

Moved over their plight as the district administration can also help them to some extent, the DC Mandi has issued directions to all the Gram Panchayats in the Mandi district and has asked them to include in the BPL list.

“But it should also be kept in mind that they do not fall in exclusion criteria of the state government,” he said, adding their addition in BPL list would enable them in getting benefits for various state and Central government schemes.

These schemes can greatly benefit such persons as it could help them in getting free medical treatment and save them from the trouble of running from pillar to post to seek assistance.

Thakur said all the Gram Panchayat Pradhans and Block Development Officers (BDOs) have been asked to keep a track on such persons and include in them in the BPL list on priority.

The district administration has added four new criterion, cancer patients, dialysis, single or widow women and families who had Divyang family member to take care of.

After the completion of the BPL list in the district, the administration would conduct survey in each panchayat and take action erring officials, Mandi DC added.

Sources said in the revision of BPL list in HP and Mandi district too, several influential and rich are found to be included in the scheme, owing to their proximity with officials. While many of the deserving ones were left out as they didn’t have say in their panchayats.

It is worthwhile to mention here that the state government too had revised norms for inclusion in the scheme after severe lapses were found in BPL list.

The government had made it mandatory for every poor family to file an affidavit, stating that the applicants don’t own more 2 hectare of land or more than one hectare irrigated land.

Further, the head of such family would have to mention that he didn’t own any pucca house or pay income tax and that no member of family is employed in government job, regular or contractual basis. Any fake information would attract a jail term of 3 years.