Indian government has misled the public on poverty
No one can pretend poverty isn’t still a serious issue in India, but the government is trying to mislead us about its gravity. They have relied on internal studies to argue rural poverty has dropped to 28.3%, but less biased sources are challenging their claims.
An alarming new report in The Hindu (http://www.hindu.com/mag/2010/01/24/stories/2010012450190500.htm) highlights the horrifying statistics provided by the Tendulkar Committee. Their numbers tell a far darker story. Not only do they place rural poverty at 41.8%, but indicate over 50% of SCs and STs are in a state of ‘permanent famine.’
Schumacher Centre strives to spread awareness of the severity of India’s poverty. Government efforts to downplay poverty are detrimental to our mission. Politicians use India’s overall national economic ‘growth’ as a measure of prosperity for all its citizens, but this is rooted in ignorance.
India’s GDP growth does not mean anything to starving people. A recent UN report states , “…such growth has not been sufficiently inclusive and pro-poor to reduce the absolute numbers of people living in poverty. Income inequalities have grown steadily in India since the 1980s, in both urban and rural areas.”
The UN are releasing more and more reports that challenge the government’s rhetoric. They indicate mass economic liberalization has widened the gap between rich and poor in the last few decades. Using the stock market index as the prime indicator of national prosperity has had dire consequences.
To improve the lives of the poorest of the poor, who currently don’t have access to the ‘booming’ markets, the government must change its approach. It must stop manipulating numbers to deceive its citizens.
The people must discourage government deception by remaining skeptical. The tendency to worship the stock market index must end. Prosperity must be measured by the living conditions of all Indians, not only the middle and upper class. Otherwise, the new decade will not witness any meaningful change.



