‘Zero poverty’: UP starts identification of families to be brought into mainstream

Lucknow: Yogi Adityanath govt, which has launched a campaign to achieve ‘zero poverty' status for the state by next year, on Sunday claimed that the roadmap to bring the economically backward families into the mainstream has already been prepared in consultation with the chief minister.
Emphasising on the role of digital technology in expediting the entire process, officials said that the govt has introduced a dedicated portal and a mobile application to streamline the identification and on-site verification of the poorest families in rural areas.
The digital tools will facilitate the rapid delivery of govt schemes from different departments to the identified families. The entire process, from the district to the state level, will be easily monitored through these platforms.
The govt has issued guidelines focused on the effective use of digital technology and the smooth operation of portals and mobile apps. While the website, zero-poverty.in, will serve as the central portal, each department or autonomous unit will have their own subdomain (microsite) within the portal.
The mop-up mobile app will be used by village-level employees and committee members to identify the poorest families. The app will display the records of identified families on the dashboard of a five-member village committee, enabling them to conduct on-site verification and submit feedback directly through the app. The tool aims to identify all the poorest families within each Gram Panchayat in just 30 days.
The Rishta mobile app, operated by the livelihood mission under the rural development department, will monitor all processes related to BC Sakhi (business correspondent) along with detailed reports of banking transactions. The app will also display information on the poorest families identified by the mission's digital platform, as well as direct beneficiary transfer payments and related banking services. After a computer-based rating of the verified families, detailed information will be displayed on the microsite of the respective departments on the zero-poverty portal, ensuring swift implementation of govt schemes aimed at these families.
The portal will also host a database of all village-level employees and committee members, enabling the CM helpline to make web-based calls and send alerts, notifications, and updates through the mop-up mobile app. The app will also include a voice messaging feature, allowing individuals from even the most remote areas of the state to share their feedback.