The government is getting ready to launch the second phase of the survey of the poor, six years after the scheme was launched.  

It has started preparing a working guideline to conduct the survey in 51 districts and identify poor people who will get poor identity cards entitling them to receive various government facilities. The first phase of the survey covered 26 districts.

Distributing poor ID cards is one of the ambitious projects of the government launched in September 2012. The scheme enables card holders to get benefits like education scholarships, health insurance and skill training to enable them to earn a livelihood. But the government has not decided what benefits will be provided to the holders.

Two years ago, the government completed identifying the poor in Bhojpur, Khotang, Siraha, Sindhuli, Ramechhap, Rautahat, Gorkha, Tanahu, Baglung, Kapilvastu, Arghakhanchi, Pyuthan, Rolpa, Rukum, Bardia, Jajarkot, Dolpa, Jumla, Kalikot, Mugu, Humla, Bajura, Bajhang, Achham and Kailali districts.

Gopi Nath Mainali, secretary at the Poverty Alleviation Ministry, said the second phase survey would begin in a few months. “As the government will be implementing a computerised data survey in the second phase, we have to create new guidelines,” Mainali said.

The ministry said that a few indicators among the 18 which were used in the first phase to identify people living under the poverty line had been revised.

As per the ministry, the revision is being made to develop new indicators to make the poor ID cards compatible with the National Identity Card, which the government started distributing last May. The budget statement for the current fiscal year said that National Identity Cards would be distributed within two years. “We have targeted distributing poor IDs within the same time frame,” Mainali said.

In the first phase of the survey carried out in 26 districts, the government identified 391,831 poor households. Among them, 188,235 households are extreme poor, 119,748 are mid-poor and 83,848 are general poor. Although these poor households were supposed to receive special relief packages, they are yet to get poor ID cards.

Mainali said that they were holding talks with various government agencies and the private sector to decide what items should be included in the relief package.