spend Rs.32 a day, you can't be called poor...that is outrageous

You can't be called poor if you spend Rs 32 a day Planning Commission of India File Photo Updating the poverty line cut-off figures, the Planing Commission on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that anyone spending more than Rs Rs 965 per month in urban India and Rs 781 in rural India will be deemed not to be poor. Creating an outrage among the activists, the Planing Commission said that a person who spends Rs 32 a day in urban areas or Rs 26 a day in villages will not be eligible to avail the benefits of central and state government welfare schemes meant for those living below the poverty line. The new criteria for the poverty index has created furor among the activists. The NGOs have condemned the new definition of poverty and described it just a ploy to artificially depress the number of poor in India. According to the new report on poor, if a person, who lives in metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, spends anything more than Rs 3,860 per month on its members, it would not be considered poor. The latest report of Planning Commission is based on the Tendulkar committee report, which is updated for current prices by taking account of the Consumer Price Index for industrial and agricultural workers. The new definition of poor suggests that it is more than sufficient to spend Rs 5.5 on breakfast to keep people healthy. In this series, if a person daily spends Rs 1.02 on pulses, Rs 2.33 on milk and Rs 1.55 on edible oil, it is enough to provide adequate nutrition and keep people above the poverty line without the need of subsidized rations from the government. The report also suggests that Rs 1.95 on vegetables a day would be adequate. The figure defined in the new criteria for poor in India is seemed ridiculous. At the time of rocketing inflation, how anyone imagine to get pulses for just Rs 1.02. Tools: Print Print Email Email