Bihar govt to bring all SC, ST, EBC people under BPL ambit

PATNA: No FIR would be registered against any of the Vikas Mitras (VMs) across the state without prior permission from the SC/ST welfare department, said chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi at a skill development workshop for them on Tuesday. He said there were people who were branding the VMs as Left-wing extremists as they have to organize meetings in nondescript areas as part of their assignment.
Manjhi was responding to the request made by Patna divisional commissioner Narmadeshwar Lal who urged him to ensure better treatment for the VMs. Lal was all praise for the VMs working in the area of his jurisdiction and said they were did a commendable job during the preparations for Chhath festival.
Regarding the anomalies in the list of below poverty line (BPL) people in the state, he said a rule will be formulated after the cabinet nod in the current calendar to include people from the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and extremely backward castes (EBCs) in the list provided they aren't eligible for paying income tax and don't own a four-wheeler or a large residential premises or land more than five acres. Speaking further, the CM said those possessing tractors or houses with less than five rooms would also be included in the BPL list.
In another important announcement, the CM said tola sevaks, VMs and homeguard jawans would also be incorporated in the list because they were not regular government employees provided they comply with the said norms. He said the persons in the above three categories can also take the benefits of Indira Awas Yojana. The CM said the government is planning to open the state unit of Ambedkar Foundation and Dashrath Manjhi Research Institute in Bihar.
Evoking the VMs to give their best for the uplift of the members of the marginalized sections of the society, Manjhi said the state government would reward the best of the lot at state, district, subdivision and block levels. Elaborating on the bounty, he said the awards would fetch Rs 10 lakh, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000, respectively. He also promised Rs 50,000 medical insurance cover to the Tola Sevaks and VMs.
The CM said the 500 vacant posts of VMs would be filled soon.