New Delhi:
Asha, a Rag picker holds out a roti with salt and says, "Most days we eat only this. Rice is Rs 20 a kilo. We can't afford two rice meals a day."
"It pains to see my family go hungry. But what can you do with Rs. 100 income a day?", adds rickshaw puller, Mohammad Zafar.
Zaffar and Asha are homeless who earn about Rs 100 a day for their 4-5 member families and have no social security to speak of. Undoubtedly they are poor but do they fit the Indian government's description of poverty that can secure them under the Food Security Bill?
Well, they don't know and nor do we because India does not have a definitive definition of poverty.
The Planning Commission has been asked to define 'Below Poverty Line' so that we know how many people fall in the bracket.
The number of poor are ambiguous as there is no consensus whatsoever among the various surveys.
Here are the figures:
- Planning Commission: 27%
- Suresh Tendulkar Report: 37%
- Committee on unorganised sectors: 77%
- United Nations : More than 75% Indians earn less than Rs. 90 a day
Congress Spokesperson, Manish Tiwari says, "That is because different organisations are using different yardsticks to measure poverty levels. That is why the government is attempting to harmonise and reconcile it so you have a final number of people Below the Poverty Line."
The difference between those living below the poverty line and those slightly above it is very bleak. The fact of the matter is, they both belong to the very poor section of our country. The least they expect from the government they elected to power is the Right to Food.
Kamal Chenoy, Right To Food campaigner says, "It is not easy to identify the poor. But what is clear is that if you assess by nutritional values, the number is pretty high. The only way to assess is take into account all the people who have BPL cards. And the Planning Commission itself says that 40 per cent of BPL people don't have cards."
The millions of poor and borderline poor in the country are still waiting for the government's final verdict on poverty.