Arvind Virmani: Poverty can be eliminated

rson by consumption level and identify the ones which are 25 per cent, 30 per cent and 35 per cent from the bottom. That is, we identify in each year the consumption level of the person(s) who would be just at the poverty line if the poverty rate was 25 per cent, 30 per cent and 35 per cent, respectively. Then we calculate the income transfer needed for everybody below that level to be brought up to the level. The data are summarised in the table .  In 1999-2000, the total subsidies provided by the central government were Rs 25,690 crore, of which Rs 22,680 crore were for food and fertiliser. During the same year the central and state governments together spent another Rs 28,080 crore on