Introduction to BPL
- The full form of BPL is Below Poverty Line. It is an economic benchmark related to threshold income. It is fixed by the Government of India. It can help one identify the financially weaker people and households in immediate need of government aid.
- The people whose income is beneath this threshold are below the poverty line.
Understanding BPL (Below Poverty Line)
- The Government makes use of several parameters to recognise the below poverty line (BPL) sections. These parameters may differ from state to state and may be different for rural and urban areas. Furthermore, the other countries have different parameters and ways to define the poverty line.
- In India, in the year 2011, the poverty line was defined by the Suresh Tendulkar Committee. It was determined on the basis of monthly expenses on food, education, health, transport and electricity. According to this committee, a person who is spending Rs. 33 a day in urban areas and only Rs. 27 a day in rural areas live below the poverty line.
Causes Of Poverty In India
Population Explosion: Throughout the past 45 years, India's population has grown at a rate of 2.2% per year, which means almost 17 million people are added to the country’s population each year.
Low Agricultural Productivity: Fragmented landholdings, lack of capital, illiteracy about the latest technologies in farming, the application of the traditional methods of cultivation, the wastage during storage, etc. have led to low agricultural productivity.
Inefficient source utilisation: Underemployment has also led to poverty.
