Socio-Economic Census to replace poverty line

Nod to Bose panel suggestions for identifying beneficiaries, resource allocation for rural schemes

Ahead of Union Budget 2017-18, the Centre has accepted the recommendations of a panel for replacing the poverty line, as the main instrument for identification of beneficiaries and transferring of funds for social schemes in rural areas, with the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC).

The recommendations, which officials said have been accepted, would make the SECC database the primary source for identification of beneficiaries for any rural scheme and in future programmes.

SECC was begun in 2011, the first national census to collect caste-based data since 1931. Its results were issued in early 2015, though not on caste component, except for