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| POVERTY INDEX : A CRUEL JOKE ON THE POOR BY THE URBAN RICH | | | By Col J P Singh, Retd | 10/14/2011 10:36:46 PM |
| On the dawn of independence Pt Nehru beckoned Indians to a better and brighter future. He belonged to a super rich class but felt the pain of the poor. In his discovery of India, he saw the agony of masses and that was what guided the architects of constitution to enshrine social and economic equality and justice in it. Ironically, today the Planning Commission beckons the Indians to wither away in a statistical illusions of Rs 26 & 32 a day survival and yet be proud Indians of 4th largest economic power of the world. What shall be the future of common man for whom the govt swears day and night is worrying them more than before after the Planning Commission tells Apex Court that in a family of 5, if average expenditure per person a day is Rs 26 in villages and 32 in cities, the said family will be above the poverty line. Such families / persons may or may not be eligible for any / some of the BPL schemes of the govt. An outraged villager from Ramban has written to Dr Manmohan Singh, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Pranab Mukerjee to prove how on the earth a person could survive on so little an amount. Many have sent them cheques / drafts of the said amount to make them realize what after all is the value / weightage of this amount these days.
Thanks to the media that the Planning Commission was subjected to lot of criticism and forced to be defensive. Addressing a joint press conference, Montek Singh and Jairam Ramesh, both from the elite class, diligent professionals and good orators conveniently disassociated with the stigma and linked the illusionary amounts to Tendulkar Committee’s recommendations, another elite of their ilk. To other painful query they reiterated that after the passage of Food Security Bill and completion of socio economic and caste census by January next, the complete approach with regards to passing on the benefits of welfare schemes and subsidies will change. Despite their best efforts to hide the reality, one thing came out clear, ie, the elite urban composed planning commission intended to reduce the number and percentages of beneficiaries of Food Security Bill, once enacted, with a view to reduce subsidies and budget deficit. This move apparently is to show the world that in India poverty is coming down and the economic growth is rising.
Every year enormous amount is spent for alleviating poverty. Yet as per Tendulkar Committee 37.2 % population lived below poverty line in 2004 – 05. 10 crore more were added to that population by 2009. Does this mean that India’s economic growth is illusory. Paradoxically economic liberalization of 1990s stoked faster GDP growth and started reducing poverty which appeared visible on the ground in many states but the rising prices of essential commodities deprived the masses from the desired benefits of economic prosperity. In other words, India is a rich country inhibited by poorest people on the earth who are destined to live in abysmal poverty. The cruelty is that India’s poor which are more than 46 % of our population will become poorer and increase in number due to rising inflation despite country’s economic growth.
The food security bill assures grains at dud cheap rate for the BPL and at 50 % the market price for about 90 % households in the poor rural areas. There is no dearth of grains in our country. They are rotting in FCI Godowns, on the basis of which, Supreme Court advised govt to distribute the grains free among the needy. But the govt has different plans and schemes of PDS. There are as many schemes as the number of ministries in the govt because each and every minister will like to give doles to the poor in his own way, earn popularity and strengthen his vote bank. All the govts in the states and the centre are formed on the strength of poor man’s vote. Middle class and rich hardly vote. When such is the political stake, will any govt or political party want to alleviate poverty. None; perhaps other than Ann’s party, if he makes any. No politician will like poverty to be eradicated risking his chances of wining elections and seeking power. Unless electoral system is reformed and the poor masses themselves seek their share of growth benefits, they are bound to suffer.
Both, the Prime Minster; an economist of repute and his Finance Minister, who is great economist and shrewd politician, are constitutionally and morally obliged to give succor to the poor. They must overlook the political expediency of winning elections and must assert to alleviate poverty from India. No body knows better than them how to do it. By drawing illusory poverty lines, the intention of Planning Commission is to reduce the spending on poverty alleviation; an elitist view point of the managers of the economy. Let us not shy from the fact that we continue to add to the numbers of poor every year despite spending huge amount on subsidies. Millions are starving, many sleep on the foot paths and crores are devoid of medical facilities. India is facing alarming infant mortality deaths with more than half of the children malnourished. If that is so, how can Planning Commission and the govt play with the plight of the poor. Govt has to hugely increase the income and expenditure levels of the poor masses to enable them to live a life of dignity instead of surviving on doles, rotten FCI grains and 100 days a year earnings per family through MGNREGA. Following additions / modifications to the existing schemes may help in minimizing the miseries of poor masses:-
( i ) One govt job to a BPL family member in the current fifth year plan.
( ii ) Provision of 365 days temporary employment in addition to NREGA to one BPL family member by the end of financial year 2012 -13.
( iii ) Provision of vocational training through public and private sector to one member of BPL family over next 3 to 4 years to enable them to get a job easily or engage in self help ventures.
( iv ) Provision of free grains and pulses till such time above opportunities are given.
( v ) Improving, monitoring and plugging leakages in PDS.
( v ) Providing night shelters to the foot path sleepers and cheap rental accommodation to the urban poor besides Indira Awas Jyojna.
( vii ) Strictly monitoring infant and child health care programme.
In the US, the poverty line for a family of four is kept at an income of less than 1,850 US Dollars a month which works out to be more than Rs. 21,000.00 a month per head. Comparing it with our bottom lines, it is obvious that life of a poor man in India is dud cheap and hence he can be easily manipulated as a vote bank. Our central and state govts have been far from serious and efficient in benefiting the poor through social and economic welfare programme all these years. Now it has found a way to keep them out of the statistics. This is an unacceptable cruel joke on the Indian poor. The govt and the Planning Commission has to explain a lot for this cruelty
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