Current Events
How To Eradicate Poverty In An Instant:
India Just Did It!
NEWS REPORT
India's Planning Commission has reduced the official poverty line to Rs. 28.65 per capita daily consumption in cities and Rs. 22.42 in rural areas, scaling down India's poverty ratio and claiming that it is the lowest in history.
That is, according to the Indian Government, if you are an Indian making more than 50 cents a day, you can no longer be described as, or claim to be poor.
At least in the glorious figures that India shows off around the world today.
The new official figures touted by The Indian Government will, of course, henceforth show a drastic decline in poverty in the country!
Indian bureaucrats now claim that an Indian above a MONTHLY consumption of Rs. 859.6 (less than $18) in urban and Rs. 672.8 (less than $14) in rural areas is not considered poor, as per the new miracle formula.
Predictably, as per estimates released on Monday, March 19, 2012, the number of poor in India has
now declined by a whopping 6.25 per cent from the last estimate taken in 2004-05.
This "new math" attributes the success to the government's spending on health and education, as well as the improved "calorie intake" of the formerly poor..
Incidentally, among the nation's religious groups, Sikhs have lowest poverty ratio in rural areas
at 11.9 per cent. The poverty ratios is the highest for
Muslims in urban areas.
Further, the government claims, poverty in rural areas has declined at a faster pace than in urban regions.
March 21, 2012
Conversation about this article
1: Jaswant Kaur (New Delhi, India), March 21, 2012, 8:06 AM.
I am appalled that these rascals making 50 cents a day are not paying their fair share of taxes! No wonder this country is going down the drain. It's time to TAX the buggers!
2: Harmeet Singh (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.), March 21, 2012, 12:49 PM.
India is a criminal state.
3: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), March 21, 2012, 2:40 PM.
An old prescription: "If you don't have bread, eat cake", or a Barmacide feast that is even cheaper. That's why it's 'bharat mahan' is it?
4: Baldev Singh (Bradford, United Kingdom), March 21, 2012, 3:03 PM.
The top photo is too much for me. I do not often cry and accept anything that comes my way and do not mourn the death of my loved ones. But I feel like crying!
5: Sunny Grewal (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada), March 21, 2012, 6:17 PM.
Sikhs may have the lowest ratio of poverty at 11.9%, but it is still too high. There is no reason why a state like Punjab should not have 0% poverty.