There will be no link between poverty estimates in the Plan panel affidavit (to the Supreme Court) and entitlements, the Rural Development Minister, Mr Jairam Ramesh, said at a joint press conference with the Plan panel Deputy Chairman, Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, here on Monday.
He said an expert committee of the Planning Commission and the Rural Development Ministry will be set up to work out an ‘agreed’ methodology for entitlements to the poor, based on Socio-Economic and Caste Census being carried out by the Rural Development Ministry.
The committee will consult all the States as well as civil society and come out with a methodology based on the Census, which will be completed by January 2012.
Swinging into fire-fighting mode after the controversy over the Plan panel’s affidavit to the Supreme Court, capping the BPL (below poverty line) criteria for entitlements at Rs 32 per capita for urban and Rs 26 for rural areas, Mr Ahluwalia said: “We were basically responding to questions asked by the Court. The answers were based on the Tendulkar Committee recommendations. Those answers will not change.”