BPL tag display serves the purpose

The decision of the state government to display signboards on houses of people falling in the below poverty line (BPL) category has started bringing in the desired results in the district. Many people in several panchayats are now coming forward to voluntarily delist their names from the lists of BPL beneficiaries.

The state government has been receiving a large number of complaints of manipulations by many people in villages to manage inclusion of their names in the BPL beneficiaries list. Since people registered under the BPL category are getting many benefits such as subsidised ration, grants under government schemes and reservations in government jobs, etc, there were reports of inclusion of many well-to-do undeserving beneficiaries on the list.

Though many well-to-do people are drawing benefits under this category, they are not ready to get identified as “poor”, as only poor people falls under the BPL category. After the state government’s direction to display the BPL tag on their houses, many people are opting out of the BPL list.

Intl Red Cross team in town

A team from the International Red Cross Society visited the district recently to have first-hand information on various activities being undertaken by the Mandi District Red Cross Society.

Rosemary North, communication and advocacy manager, senior manager development Bhavesh Saudagar from the Red Cross organisation for South Asia and Dr Veena Tripathi from the Red Cross Society of New Delhi were members of this team.

Rosemary North said the society was studying the conditions of slum dwellers and efforts were being made to ameliorate their lot in Brazil and India. The team was studying Meri Ladli, Swachhta Abhiyan and steps being undertaken under disaster management programme, etc.

Protest by 108 staff

The staff running 108 and 102 ambulance services in the district observed a strike on May 5 to highlight their demands. The staff did not run the ambulance service keeping these paralysed and held a demonstration in front of the DC office against GMR EMRI, the company running the ambulance service.

The ambulance staff were protesting for implementing uniform policy for them and take back all employees retrenched by the company management. Representatives of the ambulance staff have said they are working for 40 to 50 hours at a stretch without getting any additional wage. They are also demanding making provident fund contributions transparent and redress their other grievances.

(The writer is a veteran journalist)