Depending on the state, there are several different ways to define poverty. In rural India, the poverty line threshold has been set at Rs. 972, while in urban areas it is set at Rs. 1,407, and the poverty line is a little more generous at Rs. 1.2 billion. According to a 2012 Rangarajan Committee report, 29.5% of the population lives below the poverty line, while a more recent study suggests that 454 million people live below the BPL.
In addition to income eligibility, BPL and APL families are also denied the right to own four-wheel-drive vehicles or light vehicles, and cannot own more than four hectares of irrigated land. APL households without photo IDs are not eligible for many government programs and do not receive subsidies. These people cannot access government programs such as health insurance and other benefits. But, in rural areas, the BPL and APL are different.
The criteria for BPL and APL are confusing, says Mariam Dhavale, a Marxist Communist party member, social activist, and state secretary of the All India Democratic Women’s Association. The BPL criteria, she says, “define poverty by age and gender, but they do not differentiate between BPL and APL”
The AAPL metric points out the fallacy of overemphasis on HDI. While high HDI scores attract praise from left-wing economists, they often mask low GDP per capita. AAPL counts can show that a country is stuck in the high HDI-low growth trap. Despite the bleak HDI-low-growth trap, it is far from over.
While BPL and APL are different, their respective benefits are similar. Generally, those in the BPL category are more likely to have access to government-sponsored services and goods. While the APL category is lower than the BPL category, a person living below the APL level is eligible to receive some of the benefits that are reserved for those with blue cards. But the aforementioned measures are only a start. Aside from providing the government with much needed cash, BPL and APL cards will help these low-income individuals become more self-sufficient.
APL is defined as below poverty level. This line is based on the per capita income in India. This criterion is used in determining who qualifies for BPL and APL benefits. BPL and APL households get ration cards, which are essentially free cards with benefits attached to them. They are also entitled to subsidized kerosene and food grain. Their BPL cards also give them access to local ration shops.
The definition of BPL and APL is often confusing, but these are two different areas of the poorest of the poor. BPL refers to a person’s monthly income, whereas APL defines a person’s monthly expenses as their total cost of living. It is also important to note that the poverty line in India is divided into rural and urban areas, with the former in the city. This is because the poverty line in the rural areas is higher than the poverty line in urban areas. The poverty line set by the World Bank is stricter than the one used by the Indian government. The above-poverty line has been a crucial factor in India’s economic growth and the quality of life.