The poor and poverty in India
There was an interesting ( and depressing at the same time ) news yesterday, Our Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is going to meet industry leaders and promoters to persuade them to lead less ostentatious and sedate lifestyles. Such a request would fly against the desire of captains of industry to pit themselves against business captains abroad , especially those in USA and Europe , who lead a lavish lifestyle.What use is an open unbridled economy ( where government does not interfere and step in only to write off all loans and extend sops when things become dicey as during economic slow down ) unless the fruits of labour can not enjoyed and displayed by the business leaders and captains of the industry ?
This is not the interesting aspect of this news item. Finance Minister has stated that with 37.2 % of Indian population living below poverty line, the captains of the industry have to be sensitive to the masses and the travails of our nation.
The poverty line debate has been a slippery one. In Olympics, high jumpers clear the bar and the bar is raised every time the jumper clears a particular height. But poverty line is not as simple as the bar when it comes to deciding about the clearance from the ground. The government wants this line as close to the ground as possible so that too many can get beneath it. Even with a daily input worth Rs 20 per head ( mind you , one has to feed oneself, wash his / her clothes, buy fuel, provision etc with this amount - a concession on dispensing off the services of barber can be granted ), a national governmental agency worked out that 50 % of Indian population live below poverty line. Another committee had a different and equally challenging low cut off mark and came with a poverty estimate of 40 % of the Indian population.
Now Finance Minister has pulled out a figure of 37.5 % which coming from him has to be construed as the gospel truth. This means more than 40 crore Indians are living below poverty line. It is estimated that there more Indians below poverty line than whole of Africa put together. They do not even have a per capita income of Rs 20 per day. What can Rs 20 fetch these days with minimum ticket in city transport buses in Delhi and Jaipur being Rs 5 ?
Government has been talking about percolating effect of the economic growth we have been witnessing in the last couple of decades but the poverty figures indicate that we have only inched forward. The economic percolator does not seem to have any sieve !
It is government's duty to pursue policies for an egalitarian society. Let us not fool ourselves by believing that economic growth alone would eradicate poverty without government intervention and directives.
This is not the interesting aspect of this news item. Finance Minister has stated that with 37.2 % of Indian population living below poverty line, the captains of the industry have to be sensitive to the masses and the travails of our nation.
The poverty line debate has been a slippery one. In Olympics, high jumpers clear the bar and the bar is raised every time the jumper clears a particular height. But poverty line is not as simple as the bar when it comes to deciding about the clearance from the ground. The government wants this line as close to the ground as possible so that too many can get beneath it. Even with a daily input worth Rs 20 per head ( mind you , one has to feed oneself, wash his / her clothes, buy fuel, provision etc with this amount - a concession on dispensing off the services of barber can be granted ), a national governmental agency worked out that 50 % of Indian population live below poverty line. Another committee had a different and equally challenging low cut off mark and came with a poverty estimate of 40 % of the Indian population.
Now Finance Minister has pulled out a figure of 37.5 % which coming from him has to be construed as the gospel truth. This means more than 40 crore Indians are living below poverty line. It is estimated that there more Indians below poverty line than whole of Africa put together. They do not even have a per capita income of Rs 20 per day. What can Rs 20 fetch these days with minimum ticket in city transport buses in Delhi and Jaipur being Rs 5 ?
Government has been talking about percolating effect of the economic growth we have been witnessing in the last couple of decades but the poverty figures indicate that we have only inched forward. The economic percolator does not seem to have any sieve !
It is government's duty to pursue policies for an egalitarian society. Let us not fool ourselves by believing that economic growth alone would eradicate poverty without government intervention and directives.
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