Global economic slowdown has not spared India too. Though situation in India is not that critical as in the USA, but our economy has seen a sharp erosion in the value of money and the spiralling prices of essential items. This has indeed played havoc with people’s lives, making it difficult for them to make both ends meet and to maintain their (decent) living standards. However, the Government of India is adamant on its definition of who is “poor”.
Before the Supreme Court yesterday, it has held that one has to earn only Rs 455 a month in urban areas and Rs 328 a month in rural areas to escape the poor tag!
Isn’t is ridiculous??
“At present, on 1999-2000 prices, the poverty line at all-India level is Rs 327.56 and Rs 454.11 for rural and urban people per capita per month respectively,” said the health and family welfare ministry in a recent affidavit which stood out for the ridiculously low figures. The health ministry’s affidavit was in response to a petition filed by an NGO “Azadi Bachao Andolan”, which had accused the government of being utterly non-serious towards alleviating poverty and its failure to control the rapidly increasing population.
Statistics in other states:
It naturally varies (widely) from state to state and from urban to rural areas. To classify as poor in the four metros - Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai - the person’s monthly income has to be less than Rs 506, Rs 540, Rs 410 and 475, respectively. Which means, if your daily earnings cross Rs 17 in Delhi, Rs 18 in Mumbai, Rs 14 in Kolkata and Rs 16 in Chennai, you are among those fortunate not to be counted by the government as poor. Orissa and Bihar account for more than one-fifth of the total poor in India. In Orissa, one needs to earn just Rs 474 per month in urban areas and Rs 324 in rural areas, to be counted as poor. In Bihar, Rs 380 and Rs 333. In Jammu & Kashmir, Rs 421 and Rs 368.
So am I poor? I need to find it out… 
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