THE MINISTER OF HOUSING & URBAN POVERTY ALLEVIATION (KUMARI SELJA)
(a) to (d): A Statement is laid on the Table of the Sabha.
STATEMENT
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.165 FOR 08-03-2011
REGARDING URBAN POVERTY.
(a): Planning Commission, as the nodal agency in the Government of India for
estimation of poverty, has been releasing estimates on the number and percentage
of people Below Poverty Line (BPL) at national and state levels from time to time.
Official estimates of poverty in India have hitherto been made by Planning
Commission on the basis of the methodology recommended by the Lakdawala Committee
(1993). This methodology defined the criteria for BPL, based on the average per
capita household consumption expenditure. For defining the poverty line, the per
capita consumption was fixed at Rs. 49.09 per month in rural areas and Rs. 56.64 per
month in urban areas at 1973-74 prices at national level corresponding to a basket
of goods and services anchored on a norm of per capita daily calorie requirement
of 2400 calories in rural areas and 2100 Calories in urban areas. The last official
estimates on poverty released by Planning Commission which takes into account
household consumption expenditure data revealed by the 61st Round of the National
Sample Survey Organisation data pertain to 2004-05.
The Planning Commission reviews the methodology of estimating poverty from
time to time. An Expert Group under the chairmanship of Prof. Suresh. D. Tendulkar
was constituted by the Planning Commission to review the methodology for estimation
of poverty. The Tendulkar Committee submitted its report in November, 2009. The
Committee started with the national level urban poverty ratio yielded by the
Lakdawala methodology. The consumption basket associated with this per capita
household consumption expenditure is taken as a base for computing urban and rural
poverty for all States. The urban poverty line in each State is computed by valuing
the consumption basket corresponding to national urban poverty line at prices
prevailing in each State, taking into account price differentials between the State
and the National level. The urban poverty line thus derived for each State yields
a poverty ratio for urban areas in that State. The resulting state-specific urban
poverty-line consumption baskets are then valued at the rural prices for each State
so as to estimate rural poverty line and rural poverty ratio for each State.
The Planning Commission has decided to accept the Tendulkar methodology for
the present. State-wise details of urban poverty and rural poverty estimates as per
the Tendulkar Committee Report, including those for Uttarakhand are at Annexure-I.
(b) to (d): Yes, Madam. The Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation is
implementing the scheme of Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) aimed at
provision of gainful employment to the urban poor by assisting them to set up
individual/group enterprises and through skill training as well as utilising their
labour for the construction of socially useful public assets. The scheme, under
implementation since 1997, has been comprehensively revamped in 2009. The revamped
scheme is under implementation.
In order to address the other facets of poverty, the main schemes that this
Ministry have been implementing since 2005 are the Sub-Mission of Basic Services
for Urban Poor (BSUP), catering to 65 identified cities, and the Integrated Housing
and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP), in cities / towns other than the 65
identified cities under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission
(JNNURM). These programmes are aimed at providing basic amenities viz. water,
sanitation, primary health, primary education and social security to the urban
poor, including slum dwellers with decent shelter and security of tenure.
Allocation made under SJSRY during last three years and current year is at
Annexure-II. Project cost approved and Central share released under JNNURM during
last three years and current year is Annexure-III.
