The Planning Commission has set the poverty line at Rs 20 a day

The Planning Commission has redefined urban spending ceiling at Rs.20 a day and rural spending Rs.15 per day in order to categorise beneficiaries under the below poverty line.

Accordingly, urban spending will have to be not more than Rs.578 per month.

Earlier in May, a panel submitted to the Supreme Court a monthly spending level on various heads for BPL categorisation.

According to the Planning Commission, average monthly spending on rent and conveyance is Rs.31, on education Rs.18, on health Rs.25, or on vegetables Rs.36.5.

These parameters have been set to determine the definition of poverty line according to the Planning Commission.

Wait just now they have drawn the box, now they will throw the coins, whichever falls in your box is yours, the rest which spills out is theirs.

What an idea sir ji!!

See what the people whom you've declared as rich has to say..

KOZHIKODE, KERALA Abdul Saleem, 33 Coconut Tree Climber ‘It costs Rs 300 every day just to get by. It costs Rs 11 to go to the nearest hospital by bus. On Rs 20 a day, my family would die’ AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT Leelaben , 55 Sweeper ‘The only ration I get is kerosene. To get it, I go to my village once a month. Travel costs Rs 30’

JAINTIA HILLS, MEGHALAYA Akash Khan, 22 Coal Miner ‘Rent works out to around Rs 16 a day. And here, a kilo of rice costs Rs 45. You tell me, can I survive on Rs 15 a day?’ NEW DELHI Kohinoor Bai, 37 Waste-picker ‘I buy 2 litres of milk a day for my kids to which I am forced to add water. That alone costs Rs 46’

BENGALURU, KARNATAKA Nataraj, 23 Cook ‘It costs Rs 50 a day to live even in Odisha!’ MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA Jasuben, 52 Rag sorter ‘With Rs 20 a day, I can only buy a handful of rotten vegetables to eat. If mine is not poverty, I don’t know what is’

JAIPUR, RAJASTHAN Shankar Sharma, 30 Painter ‘I need a kg of flour daily to make rotis just for the children and that alone costs Rs 20’ BRESWANA, JAMMU & KASHMIR Riaz Ahmed Batt, 22 Cook/Helper at a government school ‘Buying the basic flour, rice, sugar, dal, tea alone costs Rs 38 per day for my family of six. What happens in an emergency?’

BHOPAL, MADHYA PRADESH Tarabai, 25 Blacksmith ‘I’d spend Rs 20 on flour. We never eat pulses because it is too expensive for us. Most days we buy only potatoes’ MADURAI, TAMIL NADU Meenakshi, 70 Flower seller ‘Commuting from home to the flower market at the temple and back alone costs Rs 20’

JALALPUR, UTTAR PRADESH Arun Pandey, 39 Farmer ‘My father has respiratory problems. Perhaps I’d spend Rs 10 on medicine and with the 5 bucks left, buy myself a beedi’ RANCHI, JHARKHAND Kishun Lohari, 65 Car cleaner ‘Once I used to eat well on 25 paise. Today Rs 25 barely fills your stomach’ RANCHI  Ratni Devi, 25  Scavenger 'Even if I just feed my family rice with salt and haldi, I won’t be able to give them three meals a day in Rs 20’ RADHOMAJHOLI (MUZAFFARPUR) Rameshwar, 50 Rickshaw Puller 'How could anyone survive on Rs 20 a day? If you have four cups of tea in a day, you will already have run out of money' BORIYAKHURD, CHHATISGARH  Gokul, 50 Labourer 'If someone teaches me how to live off Rs 20 a day, I will become his slave for life!' BENDRI, CHHATISGARH Jaikishan Sahoo, 40  Builder ‘In spite of it being such a fertile land, a kilo of low-grade rice in Chhatisgarh costs Rs 16-17’ BANGLA SAHIB, DELHI  Sukhbir Mahakal, 36 sant ‘Some days I buy atta, which costs Rs 10 a kilo. Even if I have two potatoes and some salt, it will cost at least Rs 5 more’