Montek in trouble over Plan panel's poverty estimates

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia was in the eye of a storm in the Lok Sabha today over the fresh poverty estimates pegging poverty line at Rs 28.65 per capita daily consumption in cities. "Ahluwalia is away from ground realities. He needs to be removed as every time he speaks, things go wrong. He has never spoken a good thing. No one is agreeing with the latest data," NDA convenor and JD-U chief Sharad Yadav said in an impromptu discussion. Click here for Cloud Computing Also Read Related Stories News Now - Uproar in LS over Plan panel's poverty estimates - Opposition attacks government, Planning Commission on 'absurd' poverty figures - A uniform set of rules important for business: Parag Saxena - Govt defends poverty estimates - Economy grew 8% CAGR during XI Plan - Planning Commission okays Tufs for 12th Plan "Shoot the poor...Give them poison...If you want to end poverty like this," he said. Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj targeted the government over this issue noting that it was wrong to blame the Plan panel as the Prime Minister himself headed the body. Asserting that responsibility lay with the government and not the Planning Commission, she appealed to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who was present in the House, to reject the latest estimates. Regretting that poverty was not coming down, she alleged that efforts were on to wipe out the poor and not poverty. SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav said people sitting in airconditioned rooms were blurting out figures when the reality was that 65% of the population was below poverty line without proper electricity and potable water. Accusing the plan panel of betraying the country, he said one cannot have even proper snacks for Rs 32 and the Planning Commission wanted people to live in that amount. V Arun Kumar (Cong) alleged that opposition members were trying to mislead Parliament as the Plan panel has told the Supreme Court that the figures were per capita and not for the whole family. The per family figures are Rs 4,824 for the urban areas and Rs 3,905 for rural areas a month.