Poverty in Madhya Pradesh

Identification of Poverty

The issue of poverty has been more challenged by its own definition and strategy of avoidance adopted by the State and Central government. It worth mentioning that as per the latest definition by economic indicators, those families living in rural areas spending Re. 11 per person per day and in urban areas Re. 19 per person per day are considered to be poor. There is no need to define how a person can survive on this expenditure criterion. On these points Government of India reaches to a conclusion that poverty in India is decreasing. Actually Poverty is not decreasing but policy makers and some policy makers shortening the poverty line, which now should be called Starvation Line. On the basis of these criterias poverty in Madhya Pradesh has increased to 38.2 percent in 2004-05 from 37.43 percent in 2002.
Interestingly Central Government decides the level of poverty and leaves no space for State government in discussion, and this non-coordination creates havoc between Central-State relations. As per the Government of India 41.25 Lac families are in BPL list but Madhya Pradesh Government has already distributed BPL cards to 64 lac families. Madhya Pradesh Government is saying that poverty in Madhya Pradesh is increasing and state needs more support for poverty eradication programs, but GoI is not at all ready to accept any argument on poverty. Due to this huge difference all the families get only maximum 20 KGs food grain under the PDS scheme, because state government is dividing the food allocated by the Central Government for 41.25 lac families in 64 lac families identified by household survey in the state.
Still many most marginalized individuals, families and communities at large are living with acute poverty, but have not been identified for below the poverty line list. This invisibalisation makes their life more complex and though, because they go out of the essential criteria list for getting any benefit under poverty eradication program and social security scheme. One example is very commonly seen in the villages, now Government of India has extended the benefit of Old Age Pension scheme from destitute old aged persons to all the old aged persons living below the poverty line, but the problem is that still many eligible old aged persons have been kept out of the BPL list.