This Article is From Mar 20, 2012

Planning Commission faces flak, blames data discrepancy for low poverty line

Planning Commission faces flak, blames data discrepancy for low poverty line
New Delhi: Facing flak over latest poverty numbers, the Planning Commission on Tuesday admitted that there is serious discrepancy in NSSO data and national accounts which led to pegging poverty line at Rs 28.65 per capita daily consumption in cities.

"I do believe that the discrepancy between the consumer survey and national accounts, is a serious statistical problem," Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said while answering questions on the quality of NSSO data.

The Commission on Monday released poverty data based on the 66th round of the National Sample Survey (2009-10) data on household consumer expenditure survey. The national accounts, which provide data for national income, is prepared by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO).

As per the estimates the poverty ratio has been pegged at 29.8 per cent in 2009-10, down from 37.2 per cent in 2004-05. These are based on the daily per capita consumption of Rs 28.65 in urban cities and Rs 22.42 in rural areas.

The Commission today faced criticism inside and outside Parliament for its description of poor and resultant fall in people below the poverty line with Opposition parties saying it was making a "dishonest" attempt to conceal reality through "fraudulent" estimates.

The BJP hit out at the government and the Planning panel for the conclusion that the number of people living below the poverty line has fallen by seven per cent, alleging that the Manmohan Singh administration appeared to be setting a "starvation line".

"I don't know which line they are drawing. Whether it is the starvation line or the poverty line. It is beyond the imagination of the Prime Minister and the Planning Commission to know how a person can survive on such a low income," Deputy Leader of BJP in Rajya Sabha S S Ahluwalia told reporters.

BJP maintained that for a person to live a life of dignity and to meet his needs of clothing, food, medical facilities and the like, the amount of Rs 29 is too less.

Asserting that the Planning Commissions poverty estimates was a "dishonest attempt" to conceal the reality of glaring inequalities and increasing poverty in India, CPI(M) asked the Prime Minister to shun these figures and urged him not to use these "fraudulent" estimates to deny poor people of their right to BPL cards.

.