Planning Commission files fresh affidavit with revised BPL cap
Following orders passed by the Supreme Court, the Planning Commission on Tuesday filed a fresh affidavit describing the cap defining Below Poverty Line (BPL) population in urban and rural areas for identification of poor people for the distribution of additional foodgrains at BPL prices.
In the latest affidavit the Planning Commission has provisionally defined the BPL cap for rural and urban areas to be Rs 26 and Rs 32 per person respectively for a month at June 2011 price level.
"The poverty line at June 2011 price level can be placed provisionally at Rs. 965 per capita per month in urban areas and Rs. 781 per capita per month in rural areas. At June 2011 price level, for a family of five this provisional poverty line would amount to Rs.4,824 per month in urban areas and Rs.3,905 per month in rural areas," the affidavit said.
The Planning Commission has stated that the recommended poverty lines ensure the adequacy of actual private expenditure per person near the poverty lines on food, education and health. It has also claimed in its affidavit that the actual calorie consumed per person per month under the provisional cap came close to the revised calorie intake norm for urban areas and higher than the norm in rural areas.
Varun Gandhi tweet that The poor aren't poor enough for our Planning Commission. Who's calculated Rs 33 a day is enough to buy food, rent, fuel, travel
