CM orders fresh survey of BPL list

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 12

Apart from ensuring the members of the Rajput community that their demand for benefits under the quota system would be considered Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today directed the state authorities to undertake a fresh Below Poverty Line (BPL) survey after cases of some well-to-do families been included in the BPL list emerged.

Presiding over a meeting of state Rajput Welfare Board here the Chief Minister said the department should take affidavits from those who were in the BPL category and monitoring be done by senior officers.

“It has been seen that well off families were given weightage in allotment of houses and other benefits and actual BPL families and weaker sections of the society were suffering”, he said.

Representatives of the Rajput board demanded that the state government should make provision for housing and welfare schemes in for the BPL families of the Rajput or Brahmin community not covered under reservation in the coming budget.

The Chief Minister said he would write a letter to Government of India (GoI) in this regard. “If we don’t receive any response from the Govt of India, the state government will implement some of the welfare and housing schemes for those families of the Rajput community who were below poverty line”, he added.

The Chief Minister said he would look into the matter pertaining to loan facility to the meritorious students of BPL Rajput community for pursuing higher studies on less interest rate.

It was also decided that the issue pertaining to the constitution of special commission for welfare of deprived Rajput community on the lines of the ST/ST commission would be looked into.

Members of the community sought amendment in the Atrocities Act as there were instances of the misuse of the Act. The Chief Minister assured them that the issue would be considered.

The Rajput representatives demanded construction of Maharana Pratap bhawans in each district. The Chief Minister directed that the worn-out statue of Maharana Pratap in Talwara in Kangra district should be built.