Experts suggest 3-pronged strategy to identify urban poor

The Expert Group formed by the Planning Commission has recommended three-pronged strategy to identify families living below the poverty line in urban areas, Parliament was informed today.

"In its report, the Expert Group recommended three stage identification process to identify the families living below poverty line in the urban areas which include automatic exclusion, automatic inclusion and scoring index of the remaining urban families in this order," Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Planning Rajeev Shukla said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

The Commission had constituted the group, under the Chairmanship of S R Hashim, to recommend the detailed methodology for identifying families living below the poverty line in urban areas. It submitted its report in December.

"The methodology recommended mainly emphasises on capturing residential, social and occupational vulnerabilities," he said.

In reply to a separate question, he said the Planning Commission had constituted an expert group under the chairmanship of C Rangarajan in June 2012 to 'Review the Methodology for Measurement of Poverty'.

Shukla said government has initiated various measures to improve quality of life of people and to reduce poverty in the country through direct intervention by implementing specific poverty reduction and mitigation programmes.

These programmes include, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, National Rural Livelihood Mission, Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana, National Rural Health Mission, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and National Social Assistance Programme.