Film stars, NRIs in Kerala's BPL list

Kerala’s list of below poverty line (BPL) households includes some film stars and non-resident Indians (NRIs), a minister said on Tuesday, adding that the “mistake” will be corrected.

“I do not want to name the film stars, but the truth has been found out that they, along with some NRIs, figure in the BPL list. We are soon going to rectify this,” the state’s Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Shibhu Baby John told reporters here. He added that some 23,000 government employees too are named in the BPL list.

As per the current figures compiled by the Kerala government, it has close to 20 lakh BPL households, while 56 lakh households are classified as APL. A BPL card holder gets 25 kg of rice per month at Re 1 per kg, while those in the APL list get the same quantity at Rs 2, besides other benefits.