EARN ABOVE Rs578/month. YOU ARE RICH

Well.  Do you know how much you have to spend on food and other basic amenities to be classified as poor? In other words, if you are very poor, what amount you have to earn per day by which you can ensure your daily food at least? Give a small thinking

Rs.10?

Rs.20?

Rs 30?

Rs 40?

Rs 50?

Rs 60?

Rs 70?

Rs 80?

Rs 90?

Rs100?

And if you said that you can live just Rs20/ in an Urban area, well done. A big hand shake to you. You have all the probability to become a adviser for the Indian government, an authority the Planning commission can always rely on. Yes. Our Indian   Planning commission has discovered that a person in an urban area can live by earning just Rs578.80 /month or Rs19.30/day. Now tell me what you will do with the Rs20/you have in your pocket? Can you eat thrice or at least two times a day? If you get confused by this question the Planning commission has a answer. Just follow the budget given in the below table and try to live. And, if you cannot just hang yourself from the ceiling ( these days pesticides cost too much and this is the cheapest means)

Commodity Groups	Consumption at Poverty line Class  (Rs) for a person/month
Cereal	96.5
Pulses	19.2
Milk	43.6
Edible oil	29
Egg, Fish and Meat	20.8
Vegetables	36.5
Fresh fruits	8.2
Dry fruits	2.2
Sugar	13.1
Salt & Spices	14.6
Other food	28.4
Intoxicants	12.6
Fuel	70.4
Clothing	38.3
Footwear	6
Education	18.5
Medical: Institutional	4.3
Medical: Non-institutional	20.5
Entertainment	6.6
Personal items	18
Other goods	14.2
Other services	18.2
Durable goods	8.6
Sum of above item groups	548.12
Rent and Conveyance	30.68
Urban PLB	578.8

  

This works out to Rs28000/family of four members for an year

If you manage to limit your expenditure according to the above budget well done. And if you cannot earn above Rs578.8/month feel proud that you are the poorest of poor and you are fir to avail all the governmental schemes meant for poor. If you earn more I am sorry. Even a road side beggar earns more than this Isn't it?.

How the Planning commission arrive at this figure. The planning commission earlier estimates was subjected to Criticism from many fronts. So to avoid criticism and to arrive at the Poverty line accuratly the planning commission appointed a expert committee under Professor Suresh Tendulkar. This expert committee reviewed the earlier methodologies and estimates and arrived at a new methodology for poverty estimation. As a layman I could not understand the methodology followed. If are brilliant and educated you can refer this link Expert report on Estimation of Poverty

If you have referred the link, probably you can give me a feedback about the ingenuity of our  Planning commissions expert committee. 

 This estimation of poverty was made due to the representation made by PUCL in the supreme court in 2002. These estimates were based on 2004-2005 prices, says the planning commission report. The question is why the report was not given, taking into consideration the present price situation. Moreover how come classification of poor made using this criteria will hold good for the present condition. NO real poverty estimation can be made.

I agree that Poverty is a very complex phenomena which is influenced by various factors A death of a income earning member or a major health ailment that has costed the family dearer, may bring even a middle class family to a poorer state. Though 100 % realistic estimate cannot be made, common sense play a major role in designing the tool for estimating the poverty. It seems to me that the experts are " Over Brained" ( and hope it doesn't ooze out of their head, when they are constantly thinking)  

This Poverty line estimate came too severe criticism from many circles and the supreme court has condemned the Planning commission for this unrealistic estimation.

Dozens of activists protested against the planning commission's office last week carrying a cardboard box which contained - the cheapest bus ticket, 500 grams of cheapest rice, one potato, one onion, one banana, one matchbox and a pencil which overshot the daily budget by Rs2/

This is a comment by a freedom fighter on the issue

"My father earned Rs6, when he first came to Bangalore in the 1900s. Even then our family in the village supplied us with pulses, wheat, rice and vegetables and this how we managed to make ends meet. One can only Imagine what is the condition today. I think the committee members arrived at these figures based on the prices of my fathers time. How else could they come up with this number? Who in the right mind would say you can survive and entire month on Rs578. In a city like Bangalore, a single person living in the most frugal ways will need at least Rs3000 to survive in a city like this. This is nothing but a ploy to hoodwink the public. The govt. wants to show that poverty has declined. But that does not happen by lowering the bar". H.SDoreswamy, Freedom fighter

The World Bank estimate of global poverty line is Rs56/day or Rs1700/month which is three times higher than the India's estimate.

The Planning commission has given a ridiculous explanation  : that it has to set the poverty line which determines who  gets the government assistance to make the best use of limited funds." If you have such a large number of people, with limited resources available with the government, do you target the poorest of the poor or do you spread the net wider and succeed covering nobody" is the statement by Pranab Sen- adviser to Planning Commission to NDTV.

A daily allowance of Rs 19 would buy 31/2 bananas from a stall outside the commission's own office in Delhi. 

I think our planning commission members did not go for shopping recently or they get everything free from the government, so that there is no need for them to shop? A tea costs Rs 7/ in Madurai. An idli cost Rs5 to 6/. With two idlis and a tea, can anyone live for lifelong with just a tea and two idlis per day. Perhaps the government wants everyone to fast against corruption    

Walking Mango Tree

Here is another wonder of nature. Mango tree can be propagated by seeds and techniques like grafting and budding. Here is a tree, which does grafting by itself without any support, so that it preserves itself. The genetic nature of this tree, thus remains intact even after more than 1000 years.

This tree is in Sanjan Bander village of south Gujarat. The farmland in which this mango tree exists is owned by Mr.Altaf, presently and was purchased by his grandfather Mr.Vali Ahmed acchu 100 years ago. The Mango tree ( MangifereaThe mango tree (Mangifera Indica), which finds mention in the list of 50 heritage trees of Gujarat, has several unique features not seen elsewhere.Its branches grow parallel to the ground from the main stem. Roots develop from a part of the branch that touches the ground, which develops in the form of a stem and the original stem dries off, he points out.The branch keeps on growing parallel to the ground from the new stem and new roots appear in the same pattern.

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The mangoes from the tree are comparatively smaller in size and turn flaming red when ripe. The tree has been a subject of many studies and all efforts to graft it artificially failed. The forest department, last year took efforts  to graft it taking 500 samples. None proved to be successful

However this natural grafting continue to occurs.
This type of production of "Offshoots" or "suckers" is common in some water plants ( Eichornia for example) and few other smaller plants. But a mango tree growing in such a manner is pretty unusual.


The tree has moved quite a distance from its original place and now it tries to get rooted in the land owned by another small farmer. The small farmer who just own half an acre of land in which he grows paddy does not want is land occupied by this mango tree, since it is the only source of income for him. He now is indulging in the act of cutting the branch from approaching his land.


The farmers right is to be protected. At the same time this rare tree must also be preserved. The government must treat this issue with importance and make sure that the tree survives.  

Money and Power

When Anna Hazare went on fast for the first time, the entire country stood behind him. It’s like  every good Indians dream coming true.  When Baba Ramdev, too joined the show and now it got politicized by BJP, the real intention was drawn to back foot. Baba Ramdev is merely seeking for name and fame and ofcourse some more money to his trust through this show. From his false claims that he has cure for AIDs and that he has a magic formula which can make women to deliver only male child, we can decipher easily that he will go to any extent to create a name for itself.

Politicians cannot run a party without money. Politics has become a business which pays high dividends. Invest more and get still more returns at the cost of the country and its people. This rule applies to all the major parties. Without having the financial capability, which gives them an opportunity to control the media and businesses in the country, no party can withstand for longer time. They will simply vanish. Even Gandhiji knows that he cannot run the congress party without money. So whenever he was asked to address a gathering he will demand a good amount for his ashram or the party. One day when he was on his way to deliver a speech, a group of villagers stopped him and asked him to give a speech in their village. Gandhi replied “ No problem. I can speak. But how much money you can contribute for the welfare of the people to the party’. Even in the age where there is not such a media influence that is prevailing now, Gandhi was able to drive the spirit of freedom into the hearts of millions of people. There are women who donated the gold jewels they were wearing, for the cause. They used to remove the golden bangles and chain and hand over it to Gandhi and feel proud of themselves to be associated with the freedom struggle. Gandhi was after money. This fact cannot be denied. If the party was deprived of money, probably the Congress party would have vanished long ago.

Whether it is Congress, BJP, DMK, ADMK the rule is the same- build money to build the party which inturns builds money personally to you and the one who are close to you. Baba Ramdev too spent crores of rupees to stage a drama, to be in the limelight. If you and I announce “a fast unto death” can we get the same media attention. We will be just ignored. But say you have crores of money and spend few crores for this event including the mass media you will be in limelight.

Any honest action done by the honest person goes in vain, because of People like Baba Ramdev. In fact he has given an edge to Congress . The congress which suffered due to Anna Hazare’s, fast now has some points in favor of it.  The more than 1000 crore worth Baba Ramdevs assets, the controversy linked to medicines prepared by his trust, his stage yoga gimmicks, his disguise as a woman and last but not the least  his cry that he was sabotaged to be killed shows that he is not a person to be believed.

Even Anna Hazare switching stands and his support to Baba Ramdev is of concern. If Hazare is true, he should have exposed Baba ramdev.

Now those who raised a voice for LOKPAL bill has given congress a chance and opportunity not to implement it.

The aim that LOKPAL bill must be put into force cannot be denied. But the blackmail and threats, stunts to get name and fame out of this issue should be criticized. Baba Ramdev has not rights to speak about black money. Nobody can turn from rages to riches, that too as a billionaire in a short span of time, without indulging in malpractice.  

Baba Ramdev is nothing but a yet another politician, who has used the issue of corruption and black money to be in limelight again in the media.

Money and Power are too dangerous, when they are in the hands of bad people. Unfortunately in our country it is mostly in the hands of bad people.  Is this due to survival of the fittest phenomenon? Is the world a place fit for living this merciless, ruthful, unlawful and arrogant people? I have seen many incidences where dharma gets overruled by money and power. The good ultimately is put to suffering. Adaption is the core principle behind survival. If you want to survive, either adapt to this ruthless people (being wise than being good) or you yourself become ruthless. The wonder of wonder is such ruthless people speak about dharma.Whether dharma is still needed to survive in this world ?