Own a car, fridge or AC? You will get no welfare scheme benefits

NEW DELHI: About six in every 10 households in urban areas will be eligible for assessment for identifying whether they are entitled for government's social welfare schemes, according to the recommendation of a government panel.

Those having a four-room set or four-wheeler or an airconditioner will be automatically excluded from being eligible for social benefits in urban areas. Households owning all of three items -refrigerator, washing machine and a two-wheeler -will also be automatically excluded, the Bibek Debroy Committee for implementation of the Socio Economic Survey has recommended. The report also specifies who will be automatically included in the list of beneficiaries based on the parameters set for residential, occupational and social deprivation. Those who are houseless or have a house with polythene wall or roof, no income or households without adult male or headed by a child will be included.

According to the report, the rest of the households will be assessed to find whether they can also be included in the list of beneficiaries. “They will be ranked on the basis of an index score on a scale of zero to 12. The parameters will be residential, social and occupational deprivation,“ said an official. Earlier, the S R Hashim Committee had submitted its report on urban poor in December 2012, but the government never accepted it.

“Going by the recommendation of Hashim panel, 41% households in urban areas could have been included for assessment to find whether they are eligible for getting benefits from government schemes. But the Debroy panel recommendations will make 59% households eligible for this assessment,“ said a source.The panel has said categorising of households population as BPL or above poverty line would be a misnomer.