The Bombay high court has expressed its concern over the increase in the number of persons living below the poverty line. Asking the government to explain the increase, the HC has asked whether the BPL population is getting benefits under schemes formulated for it.
The Bombay high court has expressed its concern over the increase in the number of persons living below the poverty line. Asking the government to explain the increase, the HC has asked whether the BPL population is getting benefits under schemes formulated for it.
Hearing a PIL alleging that people living below the poverty line are not given food grains and subsidised food products as prescribed according to government's schemes, a division bench of judges NH Patil and VL Achliya has asked the government to file its reply in the matter.
The court was informed on Monday that in the census of 2001 there were 65 lakh people living below poverty line in the state; in the census of 2011, the number had increased to 1.77 crore.
Justice Patil asked: "What are the reasons behind the alarming rise in below poverty line population? What is the state doing to address the issue. Have you (government) conducted any socio economic study?"
Advocate Gayatri Singh, appearing for the petitioner, informed the court that the Food Security Act, 2013, makes it mandatory for a State Food Commission to be set up to look into these issues. However, till date the government has not done so-- it has only set up an ad-hoc committee under the chairmanship of the principal secretary of the state food and civil supplies ministry.
Singh argued that from November 2014 the government has discontinued benefits given under the schemes to people living below the poverty line.
The HC has asked the government to file its reply to the PIL within two weeks.
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