Finance Minister Jaswant Singh on Tuesday launched several initiatives and reform measures directed towards eradicating poverty.

He outlined the objective of the Interim Budget 2004-5 as "Garib ke pet me dana, grihini ki tuki a anna" (poor to get food and housewives to get money).

Singh said the Antyodaya Ann Yojana announced by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in year 2000 at present covers 1.5 crore (15 million) families below poverty line.

Buoyed by the success of the programme, which directly addresses poverty alleviation and nutritional adequacy, the government has decided to increase its coverage to two crore more BPL families covering tribal states and districts.