New Delhi: The newly constituted NITI Ayog will examine the nagging problem of poverty in the North Eastern region and submit its recommendations for its elimination next month, the Rajya Sabha Member from Meghalaya Ms Wansuk Syiem was told today.
In reply to a question of Wansuk the Minister for Planning Mr Rao Inderjit Singh said that the NITI Ayog has already constituted a task force headed by its Deputy Chairman in line with that of earlier Planning Commission to go into details of this tricky issue. It will submit the report on poverty along with ways and means of its elimination by middle of next month, he said.
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 malaise rose heckles in political circles here even leading to adjournments of the Parliament earlier.
Then Planning Commission data had showed that poverty in the NE states of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland has increased during 2009-10 the period of the study. 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 and anyone spending more that this is being categorized as non-poor.
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.
