Planning commission is ruthless on downtrodden/Amm Admi 04/10/2011
People all over the country are upset about the Rs 32 BPL cap set by the Planning Commission and are calling it a cruel joke. Rupees Thirty Two- that has suddenly become a bench mark. If you have that princely sum in your pocket and you spend that amount to keep your body and soul together, that is spend the money to sustain yourself the whole day by eating a sumptuous meal, you are NOT Below Poverty Line. In other words, you are above BPL. Who says this? It has been announced from the house tops by the Planning Commission of India. Is it a joke? And for that matter a cruel joke. Indeed a sick joke. Who came out with this magic sum of Rs 32 as the amount sufficient enough to buy you a wholesome meal for the entire day of 24 hours?
Congress spokesperson MR Singhvi sought to play down some differences of opinion saying that . “ Making casual remarks will not help. There can be genuine differences but the planning commission is the right forum to decide or analyse the inputs.”
Experts have panned the figures. Aruna Roy, a member of the Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council (NAC), said the plan panel’s move to defend its new definition reflected the government’s lack of empathy for the poor. “This is aimed only at artificially reducing the number of persons below the poverty line to reduce government expenditure on the poor,” Roy, one of those who conceived rural job scheme, said yesterday.
Food rights activist Colin Gonsalves described the definition as “shocking and horrible”. The per capita expenditure of Rs 32 per day in cities won’t be sufficient even for food. “A person cannot feed himself properly with this money. Where from he will spend on clothing, health and other things?
It was damn hilarious and is good enough to get anyone burst with laughter but the best part of it, is the people who cracked this joke were damn serious about it. The so called (or self proclaimed) best planning brain of our country that came together and termed as planning commission voted for a statement that says "a daily expenditure of Rs 31 enough to sustain a family of five in a city like Delhi and Mumbai". Hey, nothing wrong with your eyes or specs, and you don't need to read it over and again, you have read it write, it is Rs 31 only. In its affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the panel quoting the Tendulkar Committee's recommendations said the urban poverty line is fixed at an expenditure of Rs 4,284 per month while it is Rs 3,905 a month in rural areas (check the article Plan panel's joke on poor).
Let me quote the definition of poverty line, that I know, poverty line, is the minimum level of income deemed necessary to achieve an adequate standard of living. The key word here is adequate standard of living, It means that the money is enough to bear the expenses on health, food and education. A family spending more would fall in the above poverty line (APL) category. 31 Rs for food, education and health? I have no idea on what basis the gurus of economics and politics have arrived at this figure but if I walk on road and pick any random guy irrespective of his education level and ask him to survive in Delhi or Mumbai with a paltry sum of 31 and support a family of 5 too, he will immediately help me with the address of nearby mental asylum and having asked this question, I rightfully deserve a place there.
Ahluwalia sits in a large air-conditioned office in the Yojana Bhawan and a large brass name plate outside announces his designation as the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India. Indeed a high sounding name but this output of work brought a sense of shame to the Planning Commission of India. The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh could not roar like a king of the jungle as his bosom friend, Montek Singh’s Rs 32 as diet money in the year of our Lord 2011 won’t buy enough edibles that a Singh could even whimper.
Many Ministers of the Government of India felt miffed at the drum beats of the opposition parties ridiculing the sense of pragmatism of old Montek endlessly. The journos got enough material to write against the poor judgement of an important arm of administration that has the onerous responsibility of planning for five years for the whole country.
A man drawing a fat salary, living in a Lutyen’s bungalow, travelling in a chauffeur driven car at government’s expense betrayed his ignorance of the economic situation of common man so badly that even his bosom friend ( read Prime Minister) had no words to offer in defence of a crest fallen friend.
Ignorance is reining supreme and the darkness thus created by battalions of foreign educated economists and planners has blackened the minds of the government mandarins. The magic figure of 32 is just one product that got publicity at both the national and the international levels. One is compelled to use the cliché: where ignorance is bliss it is folly to be wise.
The experienced trouble shooter of the Government of India, Pranab Mukherjee, is busy on a different line at the moment. He is sharpening the spiritual aspect of his personality by devoting time and attention to Durga Pooja. Jairam Ramesh was roped in to help Montek Singh see reason and light of the day. Well, the nation heaved a sigh of relief when late in the evening on October 3 2011 it was officially announced that the magic figure of 32 had been withdrawn. So, for now, the curtains.
What else do we need to prove that we have absolute jokers running the country, who don't even know the ground realities or if know have turned blind eyes towards it because they are busy in realizing their own ulterior motives. Mr prime minister, if you have read about it somewhere, please try to take some corrective measures against it. Rs 31 is surely not enough to get one good meal for a single person, leave aside supporting a family of 5. Please ask your co-worker to stop ridiculing the poor by making these kind of law or statements because it will not go down with the people of this democratic country who may be unaware but not insensible or emotionless. Choice is yours, choose wisely.
SIDDHARTHA SHANKAR MISHRA, BUREAU CHIEF , These Days , ORISSA, SAMBALPUR
No comments:
Post a Comment