BPL definition divides Planning Commission?
23 Sep 2011
There appears to be a sharp divide within the Planning Commission itself over the BPL definition.
The affidavit placed before the Supreme Court was circulated among the members for their comments. But adverse views expressed by some members were not incorporated in the final affidavit.
Among others, Abhijit Sen and Mihir Shah differed on the final version of the affidavit, according to a Hindustan Times report.
''We raised concerns that the affidavit fails to address the basic question raised by the Supreme Court,'' Sen reportedly said, adding that the final affidavit did not reflect their concerns.
Sen said the Supreme Court wanted an answer on the Planning Commission's cap on poverty numbers. ''The affidavit merely details an academic exercise which has nothing to do with the BPL survey,'' he said.
Saumitra Chaudhari, the member in charge of determining poverty figures, said, ''The court wanted to know poverty line looking to the price index of May 2011 and we provided the figures for June 2011.''
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