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The Poor: Beneficiaries to Citizens |
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Ghanshyam Shah |
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It is the prime responsibility of the Indian State to provide not only food but also quality education and well-equipped healthcare to the underprivileged citizens so that they can get all opportunities to develop their capacities. The poverty eradication programme aims at attaining this objective. However, even after six decades of Independence with significant economic growth, the overall scenario concerning the condition of the poor in the country is depressing. The present methodology of calculating the consumption cost does not take into account the increased cost for education and healthcare. The parameters of ‘automatic’ exclusion and inclusion, and the scoring procedure for the remaining households, recommended by the Saxena Committee to identify poor households, are comprehensive though not foolproof. |
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