These revelations have been made in the report of the Planning Commission’s Working Group on Poverty alleviation during the 11th Plan.

The Committee headed by R Radhakrishnan said that the“implementation of poverty alleviation programmes in Bihar presents more or less the same picture as in Uttar Pradesh.” Not only higher percentage of households from big peasant and landlord classes were benefited under the scheme, but also the average size of benefits was higher for these classes.

The poor villagers, according to report, had to depend upon some middlemen for getting the benefits of any of the government’s scheme. They had to pay bribes forgetting the schemes sanctioned. They complained about harassment at the hands of government officials. The people see these officials as inaccessible,inefficient and corrupt.

According to an official estimate the BPL populationin Bihar is 4.25 crore, while in UP over 5.29 crore people live below the poverty line. The committee has recommended increase in public expenditure on education and health facilities, especially in the remote areas of UP, Bihar and other states as the record in these two sectors were not good. Special efforts should be made to reach the hardcore poor.Provision of access to wastelands to rural poor households and groups of the poor with adequate financial support should be the part of the poverty alleviation strategy.

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