http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/mayawatis-poor-politics-annoy-opposition-confuse-her-men/370319/
Mayawati's 'poor' politics annoy Opposition, confuse her men Tarannum Manjul Posted: Oct 07, 2008 at 0237 hrs IST Lucknow, October 6 Chief Minister Mayawati's decision to suspend the state-wide survey that demarcated the population living below the poverty line has put a question mark on the legitimacy of the exercise as the leader has begun to pull out 'eligible' names from the list, putting in fresh ones. Most district magistrates do not know which criteria decide whether a name stays on the below poverty line (BPL) list, or is removed. District Magistrate of Kanpur Dehat Ramashankar Sahu said: "How do we do it? Our quota for BPL families is 1.83 lakh. Nearly 11,000 people who were on the old list have now been excluded. However, these people are now complaining they fulfill the criteria to be on the list. Those freshly included say the same." Sahu added the district administration had been asked to remove the 'illegitimate' names. "But how do we determine who is eligible unless we don't conduct a fresh survey?" he asked. Sources said the original survey, which was based on government-approved norms and completed on September 30, had left many unhappy. Complaints started pouring in, particularly from the BJP, when the lists were being compiled, forcing Mayawati to suspend it last Saturday. At the root of the problem, sources said, is politics. A family on the BPL list is the beneficiary of numerous welfare schemes for the poor, and no party wants to miss the opportunity of being generous to its votebase. Most complaints were similar: the undeserving have been included, while the eligible have been left out. The BJP complained of largescale anomalies in Unnao, Hardoi and Kanpur Dehat districts. Additional District Magistrate (Revenue) of Unnao C P N Upadhyaya said a particular set of guidelines for the survey was decided before it began in 2007. "But there will be a lot of confusion now," he said. District Magistrate of Mirzapur S P Dixit said if all complaints were accepted, the list would be lengthier than the district's quota of BPL families: 1.35 lakh. This survey, sources said, has used a set of new norms to identify BPL families, norms set by the Centre and also the state. Strangely, it was decided in advance that the number of BPL families would remain unchanged at 99 lakh families — the same as found in the last survey in 2002. Mayawati now wants district magistrates to delete thenames of those who do not qualify according to the central norms. She also wants to maintain the total number of beneficiaries, though many more new names will now have to b included. That would mean a complete revision of the lists — which cannot be done without a fresh survey. ------------------------------------ ---- INFORMATION OVERLOAD? Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ PARTICIPATE:- On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to [email protected] TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:- If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/ Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
