Union Minister Of State for Rural Development  Shri  Pradeep  Jain  Aditya informed RajyaSabha  in a written response to a question that irrespective of the method used (whether the old method or the new methods are used), the percentage of the population below poverty line has declined by about the same magnitude.

Regarding poverty estimates, the Planning Commission constituted an expert group under the chairmanship of Prof. Suresh Tendulkar which submitted its report in December, 2009. The report of the committee is available at the website: www.planningcommission.gov.in. The committee has recommended that the urban poverty line need not be changed, but the rural poverty line should be raised to reflect the basket of commodities that can be purchased at the urban poverty line after allowing for the difference in urban and rural prices. The Tendulkar committee has recomputed poverty lines for individual states for 2004-05 on this basis. The revised poverty lines recommended by the Tandulkarcommittee have been accepted by the Planning Commission for 2004-05. (Paras 1.32 to 1.35 of Mid-Term Appraisal Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-2012). The estimates of poverty as per Tedulkarcommittee at all India level are given below.

Table

Estimates of Population in poverty (Percentage below in Poverty line)

Year Official Estimates Tendulkar Committee
Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total
1993-94 32.4 37.3 36.0 31.8 50.1 45.3
2004-05 25.7 28.3 27.5 25.7 41.8 37.2

The Tendulkar Committee has specifically pointed out that the upward revision in the percentage of rural poverty in 2004-05, resulting from the application of new rural poverty line should not be interpreted as implying that the extent of poverty has increased over time. To assess the underlying time trend using the new method of computing poverty lines, the poverty estimates in 2004-05 need to be considered with those for 1993-94, using the new methodology for both years. The data as presented in above table shows that whether the old method or the new methods are used, the percentage of the population below poverty line has declined by about the same magnitude.

The house was also informed that that Details of the proposed National Food Security Act are being worked out in the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) constituted to examine various aspects of the proposed law.  Based on the directions of the EGoM, the draft Bill will be prepared and put on the web site of the Department of Food & Public Distribution for public scrutiny and comments.

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