Shivraj Singh Chouhan 'shocked' at number of on-paper BPL people in Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said he was shocked that of the over seven crore people in state, more than five crore are below the poverty line as per the records.

"The population of MP is around seven and a half crore, of which more than five crore have been registered under the BPL category. I was shocked and baffled, as to wherefrom so many people came," Chouhan said at a function during the ongoing 'Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday' Abhiyan near here.

"In some places the number of those with BPL status (in records) was more than the overall population there," he added. "Those whose names figure in the BPL list wrongly should come forward honestly to get the name struck off, so that the poor reap the benefit of government welfare schemes," he said.

Some residents of Dewas district had got their names removed from the BPL list, he pointed out.