From Our Spl Correspondent
NEW DELHI: Rise of poverty in the Northeastern region despite grand claims by the Centre and the State Governments and the faulty way of determining the social malice raised heckles in political circles here even leading to adjournments of the Parliament on Wednesday.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned following uproar over the fresh poverty estimates released by the Planning Commission which pegged the poverty line at Rs 28.65 per capita daily consumption in cities. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who is also Chairman of the Planning Commission and represent the region in the Parliament was present in the House.
The Left party Members said that shockingly, the North Eastern states are showing an increase in destitution levels. This calls the bluff of “inclusive growth” under the UPA government, they said.
The Planning Commission data showed that poverty in the NE states of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Maizoram and Nagaland has increased during 2009-10, the period of the study.
The Planning Commission is using fraudulent methods to deliberately underestimate the level of poverty in the country, the MPs said.
In spite of the national outrage when the Planning Commission had given its earlier estimates to the Supreme Court, it has retained the same poverty measure suggested by the Tendulkar Committee, they said.
As per the report fixed that low national poverty line of Rs. 22.40 per day for an adult in rural areas and Rs. 28.65 per day for an adult in urban areas, in 2009-10. Anyone spending more than this is being categorized as non-poor.
What is shocking is that even with these gross under-estimates, large proportions of our population are shown to continue living in destitution.
The proportion ranges from 37-39% in states like Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha to around 50% in Bihar and Chattisgarh. Shockingly, the North Eastern states of Assam, Manipur and Nagaland are showing an increase in destitution levels.
This calls the bluff of “inclusive growth” under the UPA government, they said.
But Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission defended the method of the report. All over the world the estimate of poverty is done on consumption level per head per month, he said.
As per the report monthly per capita income of a Meghalayan is only Rs.686.9 in rural areas and Rs.989.8 in urban areas in 2009-10. More than four lakh persons in the hill state are below poverty line, it added.