India''s poverty declined to 32 pc in 2009-10: Plan panel estimate

India's poverty is estimated to have declined to 32 per cent in 2009-10 from 37.2 per cent five years ago, as per preliminary findings of the Planning Commission.

The estimates are based on the formula suggested by the Tendulkar Committee for computing the number of poor in the country.

"2009-10 data show a decline in poverty from 37.2 per cent in 2004-05 to 32 per cent in 2009-10 as the per the preliminary data worked out the (Plan panel member) Abhijit Sen," Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia told reporters here.

Tendulkar Committee had suggested that poverty should be estimated on the basis on consumption based on cost of living index instead of caloric intake. It said that the basket of goods should also include services like health and education.

The new poverty line, as suggested by the Tendulkar Committee, is different for rich and poor states and also different for rural and urban areas within a state.

"These are preliminary data... Abhijit Sen has worked on them...He has reported that the 2009-10 data show a decline in poverty from 37 per cent in 2004 to 32 per cent in 2009. I agree with Sen. I agree with his assessment," Ahluwalia said.

He added that the National Sample Survey, which conducts large sample surveys every five years, will launch its next round in 2011-12.

"When the second sample survey (for 2011-12) becomes available by 2013 then we will really know whether the effort to make the 11th Plan more inclusive have been successful or not," Ahluwalia said.

Speaking on the issue, Minister of State for Planning Ashwini Kumar said, "This, of course, is in the process of being reviewed. Once we have the exact figures of 2009-10 we will be able to know whether poverty estimates have come down and what is the exact position".

He said the Tendulkar Committee has applied a particular methodology, which had been accepted by the Planning Commission.

"There is a lot of confusion in everybody's mind about what are the yardsticks, what is the committee that has an accurate estimate of poverty index," Kumar added.

Estimates of poverty are important because the cheap grains under proposed Food Security law will be provided based on these numbers.

India: A global power in the making

India's shining all over again and it's not just the cricket team that's making waves across the globe.  The G-20 has predicted that India will be one of the 10 largest members in the IMF and its rank in the IMF will improve to eighth position from the current 11th in terms of quota.

Leaders from across the globe are all set to meet in the US later this year for the prestigious Wharton India Economic Forum meeting to discuss how India continues to position itself to compete and succeed in the rapidly changing global environment. The theme for this year's conference is ''India: Gaining Momentum''. With an economy that's growing over 8%, that's hardly surprising.

The country is an emerging global power. R Seetharaman, the Chief Executive Officer of Doha Bank in Qatar, says "India will become one of the most sustainable economies in the future and by 2030, Asia's economy -- mainly encompassing India and China -- will be larger than that of the US and European Union combined." Seetharaman said the world has seen India and China emerging as the main contributors to the recovery of the global economy from a crisis situation.

Another point to note here is that the Sensex crossed the much awaited 20000 mark. The Indian indices defied all global markets and held its fort through the disaster in Japan and the Libya crisis. Exports too have been advancing greatly.

So what is contributing to India's stupendous growth story?

•    Youth population
•    An Educated society
•    High domestic Consumption
•    Investments
•    Grass roots entrepreneurship

India's Gen Y is its best asset and will be the biggest contributor to India's growth. In the next two decades, it will add over 200 million people to its working age - between 18 to 60 years - population. Much more than any other country in the world.

For India, more working people means more income. More income means a more prosperous nation. For a country that will become a middle income nation - per capita annual wages of $1,200, translating into Rs 4,500 a month - by the end of 2010/11 after more than a century of penury, its young population presents a never-before opportunity for transition.

Now if only we elect the right leaders, there's no stopping India from being the next super power.

INDIA:Rise in Literacy Rate

India's effective literacy rate has recorded a 9.2 percent rise to reach 74.04 percent, according to provisional data of the 2011 census released Thursday.

Effective literacy rate in the 2001 census was 64.83, which improved to 74.04, said Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner C. Chandramauli.

Interestingly, literacy rate improved sharply among females as compared to males. While the effective literacy rate for males rose from 75.26 to 82.14 percent marking a rise of 6.9 percent, it increased by 11.8 percent for females to go from 53.67 to 65.46 percent.

According to provisional totals of the latest census, literates constitute 74 percent of total population aged seven and above.

Chandramauli said it was encouraging to note that out of total 217,700,941 literates added during the decade, females at 110,069.001 outnumbered males at 107,631,940.

He said a significant milestone reached in 2011 census was the decline of illiterates by 31,196,847.

Ten states and union territories, including Kerala, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Tripura, Goa, Daman and Diu, Puducherry, Chandigarh, National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, have attained literacy rate of above 85 percent, the target set by the Planning Commission to be achieved by 2011-12.

The gap of 21.59 percentage points recorded between male and female literacy rates in 2001 census reduced to 16.68 percentage points in 2011. The Planning Commission had set up a target of reducing this gap to 10 percentage points by 2011-12.

Kerala has the highest literacy rate at 93.91 percent followed by Lakshadweep at 92.28 percent. Bihar is at the bottom of the ladder with literacy rate of 63.82 followed by Arunachal Pradesh at 66.95.