Households with own fridge, AC or car not eligible for welfare schemes

People with a 4-BHK residence, four-wheeler and own fridge, AC will automatically be excluded. Households with plastic roof and walls, and those run by children will be eligible for welfare schemes. 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.

Close to six in every 10 households in urban areas will be eligible for assessment for identifying whether are eligible for government's social welfare schemes, as per the recommendation of a government panel. Those having a four-room residence, an AC and a four-wheeler will automatically be excluded from the scheme. Also households having their own fridge, washing machine and two wheeler will automatically be excluded. All these criteria follow the guidelines provided by the Bibek Debroy Committee for implementation of the Socio Economic Survey.

However, for the inclusion of beneficiaries, similar guidelines had been set, based on residential, occupational and social deprivation. Those who are houseless or have a house with polythene walls or roofs, no income or households headed by a child will be included. The report also directs the committee to check whether rest of the households will be assessed to find whether they can also be included in the list of beneficiaries. An official, speaking to the Economic Times, said, "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."

Earlier the S R Hashim Committee had submitted its report on urban poor in December 2012, but that was never accepted. A source further added, "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." The panel also recommended that categorisation of household population as BPL or above poverty line would also be a misnomer.