Half a dollar a day is "adequate" for an Indian villager to spend on food, education and health, the country's main planning body has said.
Critics say that the amount fixed by the Planning Commission is extremely low and aimed at "artificially" reducing the number of poor who are entitled to state benefits.
There are various estimates of the exact number of poor in India.
Officially, 37% of India's 1.21bn people live below the poverty line.
But one estimate suggests the true figure could be as high as 77%.
The Planning Commission has told India's Supreme Court that an individual income of 25 rupees (52 cents) a day would help provide for adequate "private expenditure on food, education and health" in the villages.
BBC News - India: Half a dollar a day 'adequate', says panel
No comments:
Post a Comment