Battisi Khazana

I remember my grandmother telling me that during her “times” people with salary of Rs. 50 per month were considered as arrived, social big wigs. How things used to cost few annas. This government has again given us the same choice, the choice and opportunity of telling our grandchildren that in our times a person with daily income of Rs.32 and more was considered Rich, considered by none other than the government itself. Sounds great no?

But much water has flown below the bridge between my Grandmother’s times and our times. The cost has spiraled, sky rocketed, economy grew and as a result inflation also grew. The toor daal which cost a meager Rs.20 per kg ‘as late’ as early 1990’s has become a rich man’s symbol today (god bless the poor labourers, farmers in South India where toor daal is an integral part of their food everyday).

I, just like many others, studied in an yearly fess of not more than rs.1200 or so. Today my nephew, a toddler’s fees is Rs.5000 per month. Forget the fees of management institutes or other higher education courses.

How is the rich & poor defined?

Internationally, an income of less than $1.25 per day per head of purchasing power parity is defined as extreme poverty.

The ‘New’ Indian definition -

• Urban (For a family of five members)-  Rs. 4800 per month@ Rs.32 per head per day
• Rural (For a family of five members)-  Rs. 3750 per month@ Rs. 25 per head per day

So how does the new “definition’ impact the commoners? 

In my view we the so called middle class had survived, are surviving and will continue to survive. There might be very little, if any, impact on our standards of living. We lived when toor daal was Rs.20 per kg and we are living, pretty well if I can safely assume, when toor daal is Rs.100 per kg.

For the upper class, I don’t think I should waste words here. They are not , for all it matters, even aware of the existence of any definition classifying people rich or poor.

What about the lower class

The very fact that BPL families were identified was in essence to give them certain special benefits. I will very quickly talk three

A) Aadhar yojna wherein the government will move towards the direct transfer of cash subsidy to people living below poverty line (BPL) in phased manner and the system for the same will be in place by March 2012. Sh. Nandan Nilekani is heading the project.

B) Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY)  - Over 60 lakh below poverty line (BPL) families of Bihar (I am giving example of one state) being covered by the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) would now get the benefits of the scheme even during their treatment in government hospitals.

C) Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS)

PDS as it stood earlier, had been widely criticized for its failure to serve the population Below the Poverty Line (BPL), its urban bias, limited coverage in the States with high concentration of the rural poor and lack of transparent and accountable arrangements for delivery. Therefore, in June 1997, the Government of India launched the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) with focus on the poor. Under the TPDS, States are required to formulate and implement fool proof arrangements for identification of the poor for delivery of foodgrains

There are some more -

·        Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)

·        Indira Awaas Yojana

·        Rashtriya Suraksha Bima Yojana 

Here, I have some questions.

Q1) The rich & poor have already been defined as per the latest census. So isn’t it a humongous task to again set out and find out the new set of rich & poor?

Q2) Those who were perhaps poor in last census may become the rich in the  next census, so don’t they stop getting the benefits of the yojanas?

And most pertinent

Q3) With the price increasing, how will the nouve rich (that is those who will earn great monthly income of Rs.4800 /month & Rs.3750/month in urban &  rural respectively face the after effects of the inflation. What kind of change they will witness in the quality of their life. Will they be able to send their children to public schools or they will continue to study in government schools ( I have nothing aganst Government schools & they have produced good students but definitely the quality of education will  be at a lower level)

So, isn’t it better if the nouve rich continued to remain poor? At least they would have got the so called benefits of the Yojanas (few named after Gandhi family-the mascot of ‘development’) though the actual benefits being availed out of the yojanas is another story.

Mr. Ahluwalia, please wake up? Go and live in a farmers house or better send your children to stay in the house of a labourer for just a day, let them go to government school and I am sure you will need to seriously rethink your planning acumen. 


People say having 32 teeth was a symbol of prosperity, did our Planning Commission take this saying little too seriously sorry literally