Latest news with #BelowPovertyLine
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Cost of promises: on the Bihar election and poll-eve welfare measures
It is raining welfare in Bihar. Nothing surprising: the stakes are high for the ruling National Democratic Alliance in the approaching Assembly elections. According to recent announcements, household consumption of up to 125 units of electricity per month will be free, with effect from August 1 this year. This scheme will cover around 1.67 crore households. Under the Kutir Jyoti Yojana, the government will provide free rooftop solar installations for about 58 lakh Below Poverty Line families. The welfare hamper of the ruling coalition also includes a promise of 35% job reservation in all State government jobs for women, an increase in social security pension from ₹400 to ₹1,100, the creation of a Bihar Youth Commission, and more. A new internship support scheme offers between ₹4,000 and ₹6,000 a month to youth (18 to 28 years) for undertaking internships, and based on their educational qualifications. The plan is to start supporting 5,000 youth in the first year and scaling it up to cover one lakh beneficiaries over the next five years. To promote religious tourism, the State has announced a ₹882.87 crore redevelopment plan for Punaura Dham Janki Mandir, said to be the birthplace of Lord Rama's wife Sita. Migrants from the State who live outside will receive government support to return home during festivals. All this follows a familiar pattern of governments using welfare as an instrument of election-eve management of popular sentiment. The absence of any serious planning or vision behind such sporadic announcements is evident. They are often in response to the promises of a political rival. In Bihar, the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal has said that the Nitish Kumar government's welfare catalogue is a forced reaction to its promises of similar measures if voted to power. Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Mahayuti government rolled out a cash transfer scheme for women which helped it win. Later, the new government pruned the list, admitting that there were undeserving beneficiaries. Free electricity schemes now exist in several States. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often questioned the rationale of 'freebies', but arbitrary new schemes continue to proliferate. In Bihar, the scramble among parties is also in the context of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's advancing age. His party, the Janata Dal (United), is smaller than the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the election could further alter the dynamics of State coalition politics. The control of power had increasingly shifted from Mr. Kumar to the BJP in the last five years and the future of the JD(U) is set to decline. Competitive welfarism is all that remains in the toolkits of all parties to woo voters.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Health
- New Indian Express
Volunteer-run medical helpline helps 900 BPL patients; saves families over Rs 2 crore
BENGALURU: A 24x7 medical helpline, started by a group of 30 professionals, including doctors, engineers, and recruiters, is transforming how low-income families in Karnataka access healthcare. In just over a year, the team has assisted more than 900 patients from Below Poverty Line (BPL) backgrounds, and helped their families save over Rs 2 crore in medical expenses by guiding them to the most feasible and affordable treatment options. The initiative — ABF Health initiative, a project by non-profit Active Bengaluru Foundation (ABF) — was born out of the confusion and helplessness the volunteers witnessed during the Covid-19 pandemic, with many poor families trying to gather where to go, how to afford treatment, and how to utilise government health schemes. Accordingly, the helpline connects callers to district surgeons, government hospitals, and helps them understand how to claim benefits they are entitled to. Thouseef Ahmed, a volunteer, said the helpline does not offer direct medical advice, financial support or treatment, but plays a critical role in helping families access existing government services. Volunteers help patients understand how to use their BPL health card, connect them to government hospitals, speak with Arogya Mitras, and assist in coordinating essential needs like oxygen support, diagnostics, or mobility aids. They also explain how to access funding under schemes like Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka (AB-ArK). 'The idea emerged during Covid, when many of the same volunteers were involved in food and ration distribution. Over time, they found that many who were struggling to find treatment were not even aware of the government schemes designed for them. This gap between entitlement and access became the central motivation for setting up the ABF Health Helpline,' Ahmed said.
The Hindu
10-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
State to begin HPV vaccination drive for 14-year-old girls in mining-affected districts
To prevent cervical cancer, Karnataka's Health Department will soon launch a vaccination drive to administer the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to 14-year-old girls in mining-affected districts. A government order to this effect was issued on Tuesday. The initiative, announced in the State's 2025–26 budget, follows recommendations by an expert committee to provide two doses of the HPV vaccine to girls aged 9 years to 14 years as a preventive measure against cervical cancer. According to the G.O., the vaccination drive will begin in eight taluks across four mining-affected districts. The programme covers the taluks of Gubbi, Chikkanayakanahalli, and Tiptur in Tumakuru district; Sandur in Ballari; Holalkere, Hosadurga, and Molakalmuru in Chitradurga; and Hosapete in Vijayanagara. A grant of ₹4.74 crore has been sanctioned through the Karnataka Mining Environment Restoration Corporation (KMERC) for the campaign, with the cost of each dose fixed at ₹1,260. The department has identified 37,470 eligible beneficiaries. The vaccine will be administered to girls enrolled in government and aided schools as well as to out-of-school girls. To avail themselves of the vaccine, beneficiaries are required to possess a Below Poverty Line (BPL) ration card.
Hindustan Times
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Panchkula: Erroneous records: BPL families denied ration
Hundreds of Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in Panchkula are being wrongly denied ration benefits due to inaccuracies in their Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) records, which falsely categorise them as affluent. Vishnu Lal, a resident of Indira Colony in Panchkula, whose BPL benefits were stopped after a car was wrongly linked to his name. (HT) The digital governance system—meant to streamline welfare delivery—is instead preventing many genuine beneficiaries from accessing their entitled free ration. Since June, numerous BPL cardholders have been regularly visiting the additional deputy commissioner's (ADC) office seeking corrections to their records. Their complaints include being shown as owners of four-wheelers, erroneous electricity bills running into lakhs and incorrect education records of their children. As per Haryana's BPL criteria, families owning a four-wheeler or having an annual income above ₹1.80 lakh are ineligible for benefits. However, many complainants say they don't even own a two-wheeler. ADC Nisha Yadav admitted that there is a 'mismatch in the system' and attributed the errors to the citizen resource information department (CRID) not receiving necessary APIs from the ministry of road transport and highways, which would enable accurate data syncing, assuring that the matter would be resolved within two weeks. The issue came to a head on Monday when several affected families from Indira Colony and Rajeev Colony gathered outside ward no 7 councillor Usha Rani's residence. Rani has urged the administration to expedite corrections, saying families are being deprived of their basic right to food. Among those suffering is Vishnu Lal, a 69-year-old cancer survivor from Indira Colony, whose BPL benefits were stopped after a car was wrongly linked to his name. His son, a TB patient, and their family have been without ration for two months. Amrita, a handicapped woman, also reported facing hardship after similar false entries. Another resident, Kavita, said her son's school details were wrongly listed, and electricity dues of another household were showing up in her records. According to councillor Rani and her husband Ram Prasad, hundreds of families citywide have been affected. They continue to queue up outside government offices, desperately seeking corrections.
New Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Karnataka truckers' indefinite strike likely to hit Anna Bhagya
BENGALURU: Anna Bhagya, one of the Congress government's ambitious schemes, is likely to be affected as truckers transporting rice for free distribution across the state launched an indefinite strike on Monday, seeking clearance of dues amounting to Rs 260 crore. GR Shanmugappa, president of the Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owners and Agents' Association and Retail Transport Contractors' Association, said payments have not been made since February. Shanmugappa said, 'On June 19, CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar promised to clear truckers' dues before July 5. The dues have been accumulating and there is no sign of any settlement. From February to June, truckers have to be paid around Rs 260 crore.' Truck owners are in distress. They have borrowed money to meet transport expenses. They are now unable even to pay loan EMIs, and finance companies have started seizing their vehicles. Nearly 4,000 truckers have been affected, Shanmugappa said. He said truckers had transported around 25 lakh tonnes of rice for distribution across the state. Under Anna Bhagya scheme, the state government distributes 10kg rice per person from families under the Below Poverty Line (BPL). Shanmugappa said that he is not affiliated to any political party and he is not politicising the issue. 'I am with the truckers. I requested the government to settle their unpaid dues. Till that is done, truckers will not transport rice,' Shanmugappa said. Meanwhile, hamalis (labourers) involved in loading and unloading of rice alleged that their wages have not been paid.
