Annexure - 1

PREPARATION OF ANTI POVERTY SUB PLAN

1. An Anti-poverty Sub Plan has to be mandatorily prepared by all local governments. The procedure prescribed below may be followed.

2. Step 1 – Constitution of Working Group

2.1 All local governments have to constitute a Working Group exclusively for poverty reduction under the Chairmanship of the elected head of the Panchayat. The Convenors of this Working Group would be:
Village Panchayat : Member Secretary of the Community Development Society.
Block Panchayat : Secretary, Block Panchayat
District Panchayat : District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree
Municipality : Project Officer, UPA Cell
Corporation : Project Officer, UPA Cell

2.2 All officials dealing with SC/ST Development, and Social Welfare would automatically be members of this Working Group. Other members may be as decided by the local government concerned. Special effort should be made to include the President and at least three members of the CDS in the case of Village Panchayats, Municipalities and Corporations. At the Block level, all CDS Presidents should be members. At the District level, one CDS President from each Block Panchayat be included. Experts and activists involved in poverty issues should also be nominated.

3. Step 2 - Situation Analysis
The Working Group should analyse the available data on BPL families and prepare a concise report. The Working Group should also list out all schemes implemented for the benefit of BPL families and comment on their effectiveness.

4. Step 3 - Bottom-up Planning by the CDS System

4.1 A bottom-up planning process should be initiated through the CDS system having the following sub-steps.
(1) Conduct of training programme for NHGs, ADSs and CDSs. The District Mission Co-ordinator of Kudumbashree would make necessary arrangements for this.
(2) Preparation of a database of the poor. This would be done by the NHGs.
(3) Situation analysis and need assessment. Using the database the NHGs would analyse the poverty situation in their locality with special reference to the following:
a) Availability of minimum infrastructure like housing, toilet, water supply, electricity and connectivity.
b) Health situation.
c) Education
d) Access to entitlements like ration cards, pensions.
e) Functioning of micro enterprises and possibility of micro enterprises.
f) Need for developing skills.
g) Special problems of the aged, children, disabled and women especially widows and abandoned women
h) Destitutes
(4) Suggestions for Anti-poverty Sub Plan from the NHGs.
(5) Integration of plans by ADS: This has to be done by the General Body of the ADS. While doing so the ADS would also look into poverty issues and problems relating to the entire ward and give their suggestions.
(6) Integration of Plans by CDS: This would be done in the General Body of the CDS. While doing so, the CDS would also consider poverty issues and problems relating to the whole of the local government.

5. Step 4 - Convergence Workshop

Before finalizing the Plan by the local governments a convergence workshop should be held at the level of each local government in which the members of the Working Group on Poverty Reduction, Chairpersons, Vice Chairpersons and Convenors of all Working Groups and general body members of the CDS would participate. This is to ensure proper integration of schemes and fine tune allocation of funds from different sectors for poverty reduction.

6. Step 5 - Preparation of the Draft Anti Poverty Sub Plan

6.1 The Working Group at the Village and Municipal/Corporation levels should hold joint sittings with the General Body of the CDS and draw up the Anti Poverty Sub Plan. This Plan should contain the following Chapters:
(1) Analysis of the poverty situation in the local government.
(2) Summary of the experience in the last seven years.
(3) Issues and problems related to poverty.
(4) Suggestions for addressing these issues and problems and their priority.
(5) Suggested schemes and allocations.
(6) Mode of implementation.
(7) Monitoring arrangements

6.2 In the case of Block Panchayats the Working Group will collect the suggestions of the CDSs within their jurisdiction and interact with the Presidents of CDSs before drawing up their draft plans.

6.3 The Block Panchayats should take special care to give priority to those schemes identified at the Village Panchayat level which cannot be taken up locally.

6.4 In the case of District Panchayats the Working Group would have a one day workshop with all the CDS Presidents. During this meeting group discussions would be held on key issues and suggestions obtained.

7. Preparation of Ashraya Project for Destitutes

7.1 Within the Anti Poverty Sub Plan there has to be a clear project for destitutes to be called 'Ashraya'. The preparation of 'Ashraya' project is the responsibility of Village Panchayats, Municipalities and Corporations. Block Panchayats and District Panchayats should support certain definite componenets of Ashraya falling within the Plans of the Village Panchayat.

7.2 As the first step the destitutes have to be identified using the criteria developed by Kudumbashree. All families qualifying under at least seven out of the following nine criteria may be listed.
(i) Kutcha house
(ii) No access to safe drinking water
(iii) No access to sanitary latrine
(iv) Illiterate adult in the family
(v) Family having not more than one earning member
(vi) Family getting barely two meals a day or less
(vii) Presence of children below the age of five in the family
(viii) Alcoholic or drug addict in the family
(ix) Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe family

7.3 These short-listed families may be verified with reference to the following eight criteria.
(i) Having no landed property to create their dwelling place (living in poramboke land, forest land, side bunds of canal and paddy fields etc.)
(ii) Spending the nighttime in public places, streets or in the verandas of shops for sleeping.
(iii) Unwed mothers, single parent or those separated women living in distress
(iv) Young widows who are economically poor or women who have passed the age of marriage and remain unmarried.
(v) Subject to severe, chronic and incurable diseases or physically and mentally challenged.
(vi) No healthy member to win bread for the family below the age of sixty
(vii) Beggars who resort beggary as a vocation.
(viii) Women subjected to atrocities.

7.4 All families of the short list having at least one of the criteria mentioned above would qualify to be a destitute family.

7.5 Once this listing is done by the Neighbourhood Group they would visit individual families in teams including members of the Working Group as far as possible. These teams would draw a profile of the family. The proforma for this purpose would be supplied by the District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree of the District. List of identified families should be placed before the Grama Sabha and the approval obtained. Every complaints raised thereon are to be examined carefully and a detailed report is to be presented in the next meeting of Grama Sabha / Ward Sabha.

8. Package of Care Services for the Destitute Families

8.1 The Village Panchayats, Municipalities and Corporations may in addition to the existing programmes for the poor prepare a Package of Care Services for the destitute families under 'Ashraya'. The details are given below:

8.1.1 Food
(i) All destitutes above the age of 65 years should be provided food grains under Annapoorna Programme.
(ii) The destitute families which face extreme poverty and there is no source of income, not even pension may be provided food grains under Antyodaya Anna Yojana Programme. The cost of food grains can be met from Destitute Rehabilitation Fund released to Village Panchayat/Urban Local Government by Kudumbasree and it should be directly remitted in the ARD shop where the families have registered their ration cards.
(iii) Provide employment opportunities to members of destitute families under Food for Work Programmes like SGRY to ensure wage employment and supply of food grains.
(iv) Serve food through the anganwadies for physically and mentally challenged (disabled), and persons affected by chronic and incurable diseases, and very old persons with nobody in the family able enough to prepare food. The responsibility for this can be entrusted to Neighbourhood Groups and Area Development Societies of Kudumbasree. The expenses of cooking and serving food to the above category of destitutes can be met from the Destitute Rehabilitation Fund allotted to the local government. The amount required for one month for this purpose can be given as advance to Area Development Societies.

8.1.2 Health Care
(i) Special efforts may be taken by the local governments to utilise the services available in the transferred institutions for the special care of destitutes who suffer from T.B., Leprosy, Cancer, AIDS, Cardiac/Kidney/Neuro diseases.
(ii) The services of specialist doctors available in Medical Colleges and District/ General Hospitals may be availed of for the treatment of patients of the above category. Special medical camps can be arranged for this purpose by utilising the Destitute Rehabilitation Fund.
(iii) Efforts may be made by local governments to persuade the speciality hospitals in the private sector functioning within the area of local government to sponsor the treatment of chronic patients at free of cost.
(iv) The local government may initiate action to obtain assistance from Chief Minister’s/Prime Minister’s Distress Relief Fund for the treatment of destitutes.
(v) Those destitute patients who are in need of medicines have to be provided medicines free of cost. This may be done utilizing the funds available with the PHC / other government hospitals or, if required, from the Destitute Rehabilitation Fund. To ensure transparency a Technical Committee of medical experts would decide on the medicines required and procure them and hand them over to the patients. The Neighbourhood Group would ensure that the medicines are properly administered.
(vi) Philanthropists and charitable organizations may be requested to sponsor the treatment of destitutes. Such sponsors can be identified by conducting awareness camps, seminars etc.
(vii) A corps of voluntary health workers may be constituted at the local government level to render assistance to destitute families to solve their health problems.

8.1.3 Assistance to Physically and Mentally Challenged (Disabled)

(i) Three percent allocation for the disabled under Centrally Sponsored Schemes such as Indira Awaz Yojana, Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana etc. may be spent on priority basis for the disabled belonging to Ashraya families.
(ii) Promote skill development programmes for destitutes through the involvement of agencies such as Kerala State Handicapped Persons Welfare Corporation, Kerala Federation of the Blind etc.
(iii) Local governments should promote employment oriented projects for the disabled in the destitute families by utilising their plan grant under general sector.
(iv) Local government may initiate action for obtaining financial assistance for employment oriented projects for the disabled from Central/State Social Welfare Advisory Board.

8.1.4 Local Governments should give top priority for distribution of old age and other pensions to the eligible beneficiaries of destitute families.

8.1.5 House sites
(i) Local governments have to provide house sites to all landless destitute families before providing them to other BPL families. District Panchayats and Block Panchayats are also permitted to buy house sites for destitutes irrespective of their community.
(ii) For rehabilitation of destitute families land to the extent of minimum three cents in rural areas and 1½ cents in urban areas may be identified by the Community Development Society and the actual cost subject to a ceiling of Rs. 19,500 in rural areas, Rs. 20,000 in Municipal areas and Rs. 25,000 in Corporation areas may be paid to the land owner directly – that is the concession available to SC/ST families will be available to all destitute families irrespective of community.

8.1.6 Housing
(i) All houseless destitute families having enough land for construction of a house should be provided with a house on a priority basis before covering other eligible BPL families.
(ii) The construction of houses should be done through the Neighbourhood Groups or Voluntary Agencies.

8.1.7 Drinking water
(i) Public stand posts, nearest to the houses of destitute families may be erected in the existing water supply projects.
(ii) In the case of newly started water supply projects preference may be given to areas with large number of destitute families.
(iii) Open draw wells, may also be constructed for them.

8.1.8 Education
(i) Efforts should be made to admit all children of destitute families to schools, if they have not joined in school.
(ii) Efforts may also be taken to re-admit the dropouts in the school, so as to ensure that all children below the age of 18 years from the destitute families continue their studies.
(iii) Efforts may be taken to provide study materials, uniform, umbrella, chappals, school bag etc. to children of destitute families through sponsorship by individuals and voluntary agencies.
(iv) Special coaching may be arranged to ensure the improvement of the educational level of children belonging to destitute families. For this purpose a Support Group may be formed at Village Panchayat/ Municipality/Corporation level, consisting of qualified graduates, college students, school teachers, literacy prerakhs etc. The organisational expenses of the Support Group can be met form the Destitute Rehabilitation Fund. But, honorarium shall not be paid for the purpose.

8.1.9 Social Deprivation
(i) Community Development Societies should initiate steps for enlisting the members of destitute families in the Neighbourhood Groups so as to avoid their social exclusion.
(ii) The execution, supervision and monitoring of projects under rehabilitation of destitute families should be entrusted to the Neighbourhood Groups.
(iii) Local governments may take initiatives with the involvement of Community Development Societies to bring the problems of destitutes to the attention of the general public, organise awareness activities and conduct survey for identification of destitutes.
(iv) Local governments may arrange counselling to develop the innate potential of the members of destitute families to improve their capacity and confidence to mingle with the community.
(v) Training programmes for building up the mental and physical efficiency of destitutes may be conducted by the local governments with the professional advice of psychologists and experts by utilising their plan fund under general sector.

9. A special system should be put in place at the DPC level to vet Ashraya Projects. A copy of the approved Ashraya Project of every local government would be sent to the State Poverty Eradication Mission for co-financing using State Plan funds to the extent of 25% of the project cost or Rs.10 lakh whichever is lower.