Gujarat to hold 'Garib Kalyan Varsh' in poll year

GANDHINAGAR: To woo the poor to their side in the election year, the BJP-led government in Gujarat has decided to observe Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay's birth centenary year as Garib Kalyan Varsh. The Rupani regime is ready to uplift the poor, and bring them above the poverty line, by launching several campaigns.
However, when asked whether the number of poor in the state has been increasing or decreasing, the minister of state for home, Pradeepsinh Jadeja, said, "We don't have any figures available on it." The minister also said that nothing had been discussed about revising the BPL income criteria.
Giving details of the programmes, health minister Shankar Chaudhary and MoS home, Jadeja, said the Rupani government's aim to uphold the four pillars of good governance - transparent, sensitive, decisive and progressive policies - has gone down well with the people.
The ministers recounted that 1.04 crore poor people had been disbursed assistance worth Rs 16,391crore during 1,348 Garib Kalyan Melas held in eight phases when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat.
This year, 14.88 lakh poor were extended assistance worth Rs 3,862, crore at 95 Garib Kalyan Melas.
They said the government has taken several more steps for the last man in the last mile in Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay's Antyodyay scheme, such as increasing monthly pension of widows to Rs 1,000, carrying the bodies of very poor dead persons for last rites at government expenses, and giving medical expenses of Rs 500 per month to patients of sickle cell, anaemia and similar diseases.
The ministers said the yearlong programmes are not just to provide economic development, but also for the all round development of the poor through the government's mantra 'sauna saath, sauna vikas.'
Currently, below poverty line (BPL) income criteria fixed by the Centre and the Planning Commission of India for Gujarat is Rs 324 per month for rural families and Rs 501 per month for urban families.