As many as 5.11 lakh families in Chennai have been identified by civic officials for receiving welfare schemes for below poverty line (BPL) families. Civic officials have compiled a fresh list of BPL families by removing duplicate entries, in a bid to identify the the right beneficiaries for several welfare schemes.
The State government has announced a cash assistance of ₹2,000 for each of the BPL families.
According to data compiled by civic officials, Tondiarpet zone, with 98,612 families, has the largest number of BPL families in the city. The Assembly constituency of Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar is located in Tondiarpet zone. Alandur zone, with just 7,473 poor families, has reported the least number of BPL families.
The number of BPL families identified in Tiruvottiyur zone is 46,096, Manali 9,271, Madhavaram 16,323, Royapuram 41,958, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar 51,654, Ambattur 32,077, Anna Nagar 25,804, Teynampet 46,685, Kodambakkam 25,300, Valasaravakkam 16,520, Adyar 62,552, Perungudi 16,502 and Sholinganallur 14,331.
As many as 11,953 families were identified to have duplicate entries as per a survey for Rajiv Awas Yojana for slum-free cities.
‘Political mileage’
Former Chennai Corporation Council floor leader V. Sukumar Babu said the identification of BPL families had not been done properly. “The existing records with various line agencies have misleading data. Welfare schemes have not benefited the right beneficiaries. The government is just trying to get political mileage with these welfare schemes ahead of elections,” he said.
