Lok Sabha Question No. 3311 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-15
Subject: BPL Census
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: SADASHIV KISAN LOKHANDE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3311

TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.03.2018

## BPL CENSUS

## 3311.   SHRI SADASHIV LOKHANDE:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there is any provision for preparing census of the poor in the country and the Government only updates  data  in  this  regard  on  the  basis  of  estimates  prepared  by National Sample Survey Organization;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether norms adopted to differentiate the people living Below Poverty Line (BPL) with middle income groups are quite comprehensive;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reaction of the Government thereto; and
- (e) whether there is any provision to identify those people who have crossed the poverty line but still included under the people living below poverty line and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI RAM KRIPAL YADAV)

(a) to (e):  The erstwhile Planning Commission (now NITI Aayog) used monthly per capita consumption  expenditure  (MPCE)  data  from  the  Large  Sample  Surveys  on  Household Consumer Expenditure carried out by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) as criteria for  defining  poverty  line  that  separates  poor  from  the  non-poor  to  estimate  poverty.  The poverty  lines  for  2011-12  have  been  computed  following  the  Tendulkar  methodology according to which the national poverty line is estimated at Rs. 816 per capita per month for rural areas and Rs.1000 per capita per month in urban areas.

The  Ministry  of  Rural  Development  provides  financial  and  technical  support  to  the States/UTs for conducting the BPL Census to identify the families living Below the Poverty Line in the rural areas who could be targeted under its various programmes.  The first BPL Census was conducted in 1992 for the Eighth Five Year Plan. Subsequently, BPL census was conducted in 1997, for the Ninth Five Year Plan and in 2002 for the Tenth Five Year Plan period. In 2011, in place of BPL Survey, a comprehensive Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 (SECC 2011) was conducted by the States/UTs under technical and financial support from the Government of India. SECC, 2011 provides data of households on various aspects of  their  socio-economic  status  viz.,  housing,  land-holding/landlessness,  educational  status, status of women, the differently abled, occupation, possession of assets, SC/ST households, incomes,  etc.  SECC  data  have  captured  respondent  based  disclosures  on  socio  economic status of 17.96 crore rural households and allows automatic exclusion of 7.06 crore (39.37 %) households as not poor on the basis of 13 parameters, automatic inclusion of 0.16 crore (0.91 %) households as poorest of the poor on the basis of 5 parameters and grading of deprivation of 8.70 crore (48.51%) households on the basis of seven criteria. SECC-2011(Rural) allows ranking  of  households  based  on  their  socio-economic  status.  With  the  use  of  SECC  data, programme specific customized priority list is being generated to suit programme objective and  budget  space.  SECC-2011  data  are  being  used  in  the  programmes,  including  Pradhan Mantri  Awaas  Yojana-Gramin  (PMAY-G),  Deendayal  Antyodaya  Yojana-National  Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) implemented  by  the  Ministry  of  Petroleum  &  Natural  Gas.  Use  of  SECC  data  obviates possible inclusion and exclusion errors.

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