It was astonishing to read about the Planning Commission's affidavit in the Supreme Court which says that an individual income of Rs.25 per day is sufficient to make both ends meet.
When even a rickshaw puller and vegetable vendor can understand the minimum daily expenditure, why does it appear elusive to our expert committees? If after 60 years of independent democratic governance a huge chunk of society still lives a substandard life, it is because of a failure of our developmental planning.
When we talk about the stupendous growth rate that India has achieved over the past decade, because of the booming Service sector, we often tend to overlook the fact that this growth has not been all inclusive, and has left the marginal and deprived sections of our society even farther behind by widening the poverty gap.
Today one-third of the world's population living on less than one dollar a day is in India. These figures if incorporated in the country's growth projections in terms of per capita GDP consumption, will seriously expose the flaws in our development and planning machinery.
I think time has come for a serious rethink over the way planning and budget allocations are carried out in our country.
When even a rickshaw puller and vegetable vendor can understand the minimum daily expenditure, why does it appear elusive to our expert committees? If after 60 years of independent democratic governance a huge chunk of society still lives a substandard life, it is because of a failure of our developmental planning.
When we talk about the stupendous growth rate that India has achieved over the past decade, because of the booming Service sector, we often tend to overlook the fact that this growth has not been all inclusive, and has left the marginal and deprived sections of our society even farther behind by widening the poverty gap.
Today one-third of the world's population living on less than one dollar a day is in India. These figures if incorporated in the country's growth projections in terms of per capita GDP consumption, will seriously expose the flaws in our development and planning machinery.
I think time has come for a serious rethink over the way planning and budget allocations are carried out in our country.
