In Haryana, no BPL card for having fridge, scooter

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 10

The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has questioned how can donated household items like a refrigerator or an old scooter, or a generations-old house disqualify a person from the state’s BPL list.

The commission made the observation in the case of a Sonepat resident, who was excluded from the BPL list, and summoned the administrative/principal secretary concerned. The Urban Projection Officer, Sonepat Municipal Corporation, submitted before the commission that if a household has a vehicle or has two or more rooms with pucca walls and roof or has a refrigerator or a landline or has a member earning more than Rs 10,000 per month or owns 2.5-acre or more of irrigated land, it will be excluded from the BPL list. The Bench comprising Chairperson Justice SK Mittal (retd) and member Deep Bhatia observed, “There are many grounds for disqualification of a BPL applicant which are basic necessities of life and are generally found in every household, including the ones living below the poverty line.”

“The criterion for determining the BPL status is such that it excludes even the deserving poor people… a pucca house may have been in the family for generations, and that is not necessarily a reflection of its present financial status,” it said.

“Similarly, used (old) small electrical items such as a refrigerator, fan or a scooter given by some generous donor also disqualify the applicant,” the Bench said.

It noticed the families that “are homeless and reside on pavements and parks have no means of obtaining ration cards and cheap foodgrain as they are unable to get their names included in the BPL list”. “Since the valuation of such articles has been fixed by the government, it muddles the situation and the applications of many needy persons are being rejected on lame excuses,” read the order.

Before the next date of hearing on January 19, 2022, the concerned Additional Chief Secretary or Principal Secretary have to appear before the commission, it said.

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