Expert group to re-look at poverty line numbers

New Delhi:  Amidst demand for removal of its Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia for pegging the poverty line at Rs 28.65 per day per person for cities, the Planning Commission is likely to constitute an expert group to re-evaluate its claim that poverty has declined in India.

"The Commission is likely to shortly constitute an expert group for reevaluating the poverty numbers and the methodology used to arrive at the number," a source said.

As per the Commission's estimates, the poverty ratio has been pegged at 29.8 per cent in 2009-10, down from 37.2 per cent in 2004-05. These are based on the daily per capita consumption of Rs 28.65 in urban cities and Rs 22.42 in rural areas.

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh had sought removal of Ahluwalia as the Deputy Chairman of the Commission which set the poverty line standards.

"The Prime Minister is responsible as he is the Chairman of the Commission. He should remove the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission from the post," Mulayam Singh had said on Wednesday.

The estimates announced by the Commission had faced criticism in Parliament for its description of the poor and the subsequent number of people below the poverty line.

The Opposition parties, including BJP, blamed the government for making a "dishonest" attempt to conceal reality through "fraudulent" estimates.

However, Ahluwalia had said that there is serious discrepancy in the NSSO data and national accounts which led to pegging of such a low poverty line.

The Commission, on Wednesday, released poverty data based on the 66th round of the National Sample Survey (2009-10) data on household consumer expenditure survey. The national accounts, which provide data for national income, is prepared by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO).

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Where are the numbers, Mr Prime Minister, asks Sushma after vote on anti-terror centre

New Delhi:  The government won a vote today on its proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), but that victory, according to the BJP, exposes that the government is in a minority. The opposition has also highlighted that ministers of the Trinamool Congress, headed by Mamata Banerjee, walked out of the House before the vote.  

After the vote, the BJP's Sushma Swaraj tweeted, "There were 227 votes in favour of the Government. It is 45 less than the majority. The Government's majority claim has been exposed." She added, "They have been saying - 'We have the number, we have the number'. Mr Prime Minister Where is the number?" Referring to the fact that the Trinamool did not vote in favour of the government, she said, "It is for the first time that even Ministers of alliance partner (TMC) walked out of the House. It is huge embarrassment for the Government."

The BJP and the Left had pushed for votes against the government for violating the federal structure of the country via the NCTC. A simple majority is 272 in the Lok Sabha which has 543 seats. The government came in under that mark, but members of the Trinamool Congress and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) walked out during the vote, reducing by 40 the number of MPs present and voting. Mulayam Singh Yadav, who today denied reports that he will formally join the ruling coalition, also lent assistance by voting along with the government. But 60 MPs from the UPA - including 12 from the Congress, which leads the ruling coalition - were absent during the vote. The Congress had issued a whip to its MPs, ordering them to be present. Those who were missing are likely to be served a showcause notice with the party demanding an explanation.

Ms Banerjee, who is both Trinamool chief and West Bengal chief minister, has led a contingent of 10 chief ministers who objected to the NCTC. By walking out during the vote, her MPs were not forced to vote against the government alongside the BJP and the Left. At the same time, they avoided voting in favour of a policy that they have criticised fiercely. Sources in the Trinamool Congress say that this was part of a strategy worked out with the Congress this morning. But the BJP was quick to point out that Trinamool ministers like Mukul Roy and Sudip Bandyopadhyay were among those who left the House.    

The vote on the contentious NCTC today was held in the form of amendments moved by the Left and the BJP to the Motion of Thanks given by the Prime Minister this morning for the President's address. Last week, President Pratibha Patil inaugurated the Budget session of Parliament with her speech in which she outlined the agenda of the government. The NCTC was mentioned. The opposition wanted that reference to be deleted. The Prime Minister in his Motion of Thanks said that consultations with state governments will continue about the plans and powers for the NCTC.

He also reiterated that the Home Minister will meet with all chief ministers on April 16 to discuss their concerns. The NCTC has the right to arrive in any state, conduct searches for suspects, and make arrests. State governments say this impedes upon their right to handle law and order, and that the state police force must play a larger role in the NCTC's operations.

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We have the numbers that are needed, says PM on Budget Session

New Delhi:  The Budget Session began today with an address by the President. And as the government gets ready to face a belligerent Opposition, the Prime Minister told reporters that his government has the numbers that are needed to push through important legislation. When asked about the stress of managing a coalition greatly enervated by the recent state elections, he said that "the pressure is part of the job." He's certainly to feel enough of it; the talk of a Third Front building between leaders like Odisha's Naveen Patnaik and Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party has been escalating, with speculation that Mamata Banerjee will move toward it. Ms Banerjee has 19 MPs, making her essential to the survival of the UPA in its current form. Lately, she has shown a restlessness with the government and its policies that suggests she may be searching for an exit. Though the Samajwadi Party could then help save the government, its young leader Akhilesh Yadav today said that though he is focussed on UP, where he will take over as chief minister later this week, "if a Third Front is formed, it will be good."
The Budget Session is expected to be a gruelling one for the government.  It comes less than a week after the Congress was whiplashed in states like UP and Punjab. On Wednesday, the government will present the Railway Budget; on Friday, it will share the Union Budget. The Opposition, sensing the government's weakness, is likely to be at its aggressive best. More worrying for the government is how to ensure its allies, especially Ms Banerjee, don't challenge the government on key policy. But with its house in disorder, the government is unlikely to push for any big-ticket reforms. So, for example, the permission for more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail, recently suspended after Ms Banerjee's fierce criticism, will remain in limbo. Ms Banerjee has 19 MPs, making her essential to the survival of the UPA in its current form. New laws and policies for mining and land acquisition are also likely to remain untouched.
A major flashpoint for Ms Banerjee, who is the second-largest member of the UPA after the Congress, is the design of the National Counter Terrorism Centre or NCTC. The new hub, meant to coordinate security needs and arrangements, has infuriated state governments because they find it encroaches upon their turf. The NCTC has powers that over-ride their right to handle law and order, say ten chief ministers, including Ms Banerjee, all of them from non-Congress states.
To help resolve the issues, Home Secretary RK Singh is meeting today with senior police officers and bureaucrats from all states to share the centre's vision and to collect feedback from states. The NCTC, meant to be operational on March 1, has been delayed after Ms Banerjee led the Group of 10 that sent letters to the PM, sharing their objections.
Ms Banerjee gave the Congress a sleepless weekend. Her party first said she would attend the swearing in of the new governments in Punjab and UP.  Then, as the Congress issued a strict warning against allies crossing the "laxman rekha" by being unnecessarily supportive of non-UPA parties, Ms Banerjee's party members said she would stay in Bengal but would send representatives to the ceremonies.

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