New Delhi: Chief Ministers of Bihar, Tamil
Nadu and Uttar Pradesh have raised certain objections on the
method adopted for fixing the ceiling for qualifying in the
Below Poverty Line category, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.
"According to information received from the Prime
Minister's Office (PMO), Chief Ministers of Bihar, Tamil Nadu
and Uttar Pradesh have raised certain objections on the method
of pre-determined BPL ceiling adopted while conducting the
nationwide socio-economic Census 2011," Minister of State for
Planning Ashwani Kumar said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.
He said the Ministry of Rural Development has been asked
to apprise the state governments of the methodology being used
in the Census survey and address any legitimate grievances on
the issue.
Kumar, however, did not give details regarding objections
made by the Chief Ministers.
The minister said the poverty line has been defined by the
Planning Commission on the basis of Monthly Per Capita
Consumption Expenditure. Tthe method used for estimation of
poverty has been reviewed from time to time, he added.
The Planning Commission in 2009 had constituted a panel
under the chairmanship of Suresh Tendulkar to review the
methodology for poverty estimation in the country.
"Based on the Tendulkar Committee methodology the poverty
lines in 2004-05 (base year) at all India level are calculated
as per capital consumption expenditure of Rs 446.68 per month
for rural areas and Rs 578.80 for urban areas," Kumar said.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, September 07, 2011, 19:13