BJP wants govt to call CMs, parties for poverty definition

The Bharatiya Janata Party wants the Union government to invite all chief ministers and representatives of political parties to discuss the issue of poverty.

Party leader and ex-finance minister Yashwant Sinha said they rejected the Union government rationale for the recent affidavit in the Supreme Court that people who spend more than Rs 32 a day in urban areas and Rs 26 a day in rural areas would not be classified as below the poverty line.

He noted a Planning Commission calculation earlier on a person being able to live with a family of four in a big city for Rs 3,860 per month, covering all expenses. "The BJP demands that Union government invite all political parties and chief ministers of all states to discuss these issues and find a solution," he said.

“There is chaos when it comes to identification of the poor. The Planning Commission is the nodal agency for estimating poverty but other agencies are also involved in this task, like the ministry of rural development, housing and urban poverty alleviation, NSSO under the ministry of statistics, registrar general of census under the ministry of home affairs and now the Unique Identification Authority of India, housed in the Planning Commission. This adds to the confusion,” said Sinha.