Planning Commission to consider delinking food entitlement from poverty caps

Under fire from civil society groups over its Supreme court affidavit setting a low spending threshold for the poverty line, the Planning Commission will meet on Monday to consider delinking food entitlement to those below the poverty line (BPL).

The commission in a controversial affidavit to the apex court last month had said that the spending threshold for poverty line was Rs.32 per day in cities and Rs.26 in villages. This was on the basis of a method suggested two years ago by a committee headed by the late Suresh D. Tendulkar, an economist.

''Some members have views on how to handle the poverty issue in future regarding entitlements,'' said Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of the commission, confirming the Monday meeting. ''Future policy will be laid out in the food security bill.''

Abhijit Sen, a Planning Commission member, said the meeting would discuss the BPL census and the caps for BPL. Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh, who was among those who criticised the Planning Commission's affidavit in the Supreme court, will also be attending the meeting. ''My concern is more about arbitrary caps,'' said Ramesh. ''Why should there be such caps to identify the beneficiaries of government welfare programmes.''

Anotther minister, Ambika Soni, who handles the information and broadcasting portfolio, admits that there has been public disquiet about the limits set by the Planning Commission.

''These figures (BPL caps) could undergo a change,'' she remarked. ''Who knows, some other statistics may come up, which are acceptable to the Planning Commission. There is a certain disquiet in civil society and some sections. They believe the statistics are perhaps somewhat removed from reality.''