Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has directed the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department to begin the fourth phase of the Below Poverty Line (BPL) identification survey from February 1, 2026, according to an official release. Chairing a departmental meeting here today, the Chief Minister said the State Government was committed to ensuring that every eligible family was included in the BPL list so they could access benefits under various government welfare schemes. He added that the survey was being conducted in five phases to ensure that no deserving poor family was deprived of its rightful entitlements. As per a release, in the first three phases of the survey, a total of 59,829 BPL families have been included in the BPL list across the State. District-wise, 2204 families have been notified in Bilaspur, 13786 in Chamba, 3480 in Hamirpur, 10807 in Kangra, 1109 in Kinnaur, 2957 in Kullu, 206 in Lahaul-Spiti, 12045 in Mandi, 4522 in Shimla, 1277 in Sirmaur, 1567 in Solan, and 5869 in Una. The Chief Minister said that families eligible for inclusion in the BPL list also include orphans up to the age of 27 years. households with members aged 59 years and above, and families with members with disabilities aged 27 to 59 years. He further stated that families headed by women with no adult male member between 27 and 59 years of age, as well as families where the head of the household has a disability of 50 per cent or more, are also to be covered under BPL. Additionally, families that worked for at least 100 days under MGNREGA during the previous financial year will be considered eligible. Households where earning members suffer from chronic diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, muscular dystrophy, hemophilia or any other condition resulting in permanent disability will also be included. The government has also decided to include families living in concrete houses who have received financial assistance under State or Central housing schemes. Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh, MLA Chander Shekhar, Secretary to the Chief Minister Rakesh Kanwar, Secretary Amarjeet Singh, Director Rakesh Prajapati and other senior officers were present in the meeting, a release stated.