Poverty ID Card Distribution: Groundwork for first phase to begin today
KATHMANDU, SEP 17 -
Groundwork for the government’s ambitious social security drive—distribution of poverty identity card—will start from Monday. The Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF), the implementing agency, is planning to launch the first phase of card distribution in 25 districts with the highest rate of poverty.
Under the programme, the government plans to issue the ID cards to around 7 million people (25.2 percent of the total population). The cardholders will be entitled to receive subsidies in education, health facilities, transportation and food items among others.
In the first phase, PAF will be distributing ID cards in Achham, Bajhang, Bajura, Kailali, Jumla, Humla, Mugu, Dolpa, Kalikot, Jajarkot, Bardia, Rukum, Rolpa, Pyuthan, Arghakhachi, Kapilvastu, Tanahu, Baglung, Gorkha, Ramechhap, Sindhuli, Rautahat, Siraha, Khotang and Bhojpur.
“Citing the severity of poverty there, the Central Coordination Board (CCB) has decided to launch the programme in these districts first,” said PAF’s Vice-chairman Janak Raj Joshi. According to him, the first phase of the programme will be completed within the next four months at an estimated cost of Rs 250 million.
PAF is using the census method to identify poor household in the rural areas. It has planned to coordinate over 20,000 community organisations along with its partner organisations and local agencies to appoint the enumerators. According to Joshi, the study teams will visit the households with a set of questionnaire prepared on the basis of 28 socio-economic parameters.
PAF has taken the calorie measurement prescribed by the Third Living Standard Survey-2010 to define the poor.
The programme, according to PAF, has given equal emphasis to adopting necessary measure to avoid discrepancies. “For the purpose, the CCB has come up with Centralised Household Monitoring System to prudently identify the poor,” said Joshi, adding that the system would also enable the board to review the income status of cardholders at regular intervals.
Despite running various programmes targeted at the poor, the government has failed to see a desired result, with the statistics of the past two decade indicating a slow progress in the poverty alleviation.
“It is a part of government programme for the poor at the time when 45-47 percent of the annual budget has been spent to aid those living under the poverty line,” he said. The programme, according to him, will also allow a new poverty alleviation pragramme to reach out directly to the people more effectively in the future.
“Likewise, it will also help implement the new social security programme effectively which are targeted to the deprived segments,” he added. “However, it won’t have any effect on the ongoing social security schemes like old age allowances and scholarship to the underprivileged groups.”
The CCB is set to feature three types of ID cards to separate extreme poor, medium poor and normal poor based on living conditions of the people who do not have enough to eat for three months, six months and nine months.
Meanwhile, the second meeting of the CCB held on Sunday approved the action plan for the ID cards distribution. According to the plan, the CCB will initiate forming a coordination committee along with their secretariat at the local level.
Source: The Kathmandu Post
