In a move that could stir the political pot, the rural development ministry under Congress leader CP Joshi has given a proposal on ?automatic inclusion? of Muslims in the below-poverty line (BPL) list of families along with Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
Aware of the political sensitivities involved, the ministry plans to replace the word ?Muslim? with ?minority? to pre-empt opposition?especially from BJP-ruled states who are likely to protest the move.
Inaugurating a conference of social editors, rural development minister CP Joshi said that to simplify the process of identification of BPL families, his department has broadly decided on automatic ?inclusion? and ?exclusion?. It has been proposed, he said, that SCs, STs and minorities will be automatically included in the BPL list and then the well-off families would be excluded on basis of Income Tax returns, land etc.
Joshi justified the proposal of automatic inclusion stating that ?SCs, STs and minorities together form less than 37% of the population? ? less than the BPL population pegged by the SC Saxena and Suresh Tendulkar Committee reports released recently. He, however, said that his ministry was waiting for the NSSO survey to decide the mode to be adopted for the new BPL survey.
By proposing of automatic inclusion of Muslims under the ?minority? head, Joshi has gone beyond what the Saxena Committee report ? it was appointed by the rural development ministry ? recommended on the methodology to be adopted for a BPL survey. While it said that weightage should be given to certain social groups, including Muslims, during the survey, it did not favour automatic inclusion. According to the Saxena report, SCs/STs would get three points and Most Backward Castes (MBC) two points. The Saxena report said that Muslims and OBCs be given one point each.
Automatic inclusion of Muslims in the BPL list could be the first major attempt by the Congress-led UPA government to woo the vote bank that roughly constitutes 18% of the country?s population. The proposal could be significant given that Uttar Pradesh and Bihar go to state polls in 2012 and 2010 respectively, states where the Congress is desperately trying to get a foothold.
Inclusion and exclusion from the BPL list is a big issue in the rural hinterland, particularly in the Hindi heartland, since benefits of most Central and state-sponsored welfare schemes like Indira Awas Yojna, old age pension are decided on the basis of the list.
