Definition of Poor

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A new method of calculating poverty changes figures.. again

We may have been poor for as long as we can remember but we are yet to decide for sure, who is poor. Poverty has been our perennial partner through history, and the goal of poverty alleviation has remained like the sun at the horizon. Hats off to whoever in the congress crafted the slogan ‘Garibi Hatao’, decades ago. It will always remain relevant. However for those who find themselves officially tagged as poor, nothing can be more humiliating than changing definitions of their state of being. So Ramu is poor today, tomorrow he is not, day after is might be.

Theory sometimes dehumanizes issues. For those on the borderline of the poverty line this is tragic. Our Laxman seems to be undecided about where to draw the resha. No matter where we draw the line, the fact remains that a sizeable number of people remain on the other side. And that takes the sheen away from shining India.

Those who thought that obvious signs of poverty like malnutrition plague only rural and tribal India, its time to wake up and smell the rising stink. Some years back an NGO admitted children from Mumbai’s streets and slums to hospitals and many were diagnosed with varying degrees of malnutrition. Urban malnutrition is both shocking and shameful. It is also an eye opener. Even before our decades old plans and policies begin to show signs of success, the problem itself has changed. Along with NREGA a parallel mission for the urban poor is needed urgently. Whether we calculate poverty in terms of calorific value or not, the facts are for all to see. And the story here is not in the detail.

Author: Prachi Wagh | Published Dec 16, 2009 | 08:54 PM

Loves and lives Mumbai. Journalist and traveler. The city is home. It is also a way of life. The city that makes me who I am, every day, all the time....