Good food, proper health care and quality education — all for a mere Rs25 per head at a time when inflation is soaring and people are angry with the government.
Sounds incredible? The Planning Commission, at least, does not think so.
On Tuesday, the commission filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court saying a minimum daily income of Rs125 would be the sole criterion for any family (generally considered to have five members) seeking government approval for below poverty line (BPL) status, which makes it eligible for welfare schemes.
Following repeated reminders from the court, the commission filed its affidavit. Representatives of the commission told the court that the prime minister's office had gone through the affidavit, which is based on the findings of the Suresh Tendulkar committee.
"The recommended poverty lines ensure adequacy of actual private expenditure per capita near the poverty lines on food, education and health," the affidavit read.
Though the UPA had harped on its concern for the aam aadmi and used it as the poll plank in 2004 and 2009, the affidavit practically seals the poverty line for the poor and the marginalised in the country.
At a time when vegetables prices are rising by the day, oil companies are increasing petrol and kerosene prices every now and then, and there are talks of doing away with the subsidy on LPG cylinders, it would not be too wrong to say that the government wants the poor to starve to get BPL status.
The affidavit, however, drew sharp reactions from NC Saxena, the Supreme Court-appointed food commissioner. Terming it "insensitive", he said the cut-off amount would be more effective in deciding if families are starved rather than their poverty level.
If the commission has its way, most of the poor in the country will have to forgo various welfare schemes in operation, he said. "In fact, 80% of people live with less than Rs80 per day. The commission has completely ignored this… as a result we have a badly worded affidavit from the government."
Saxena's colleague Biraj Patnaik made a scathing remark on the affidavit.
"This shows the moral bankruptcy of the commission and the government," he said. "They just don't care about the poor… this is a very insensitive stand." Members of Parliament get subsidised food in canteens but "when it comes to helping the poor the
government wants few people to get even the minimum benefits", Patnaik said.
"The government wants to use the 1991 census figures to determine the entitlements of the poor."
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