The Planning Commission is setting a target of reducing poverty by 10 per cent by the end of 12th plan. The Commission had set a similar target during the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12).Talking to reportrs on the sidelines of a conference in New Delhi today Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said that this needs more work to achieve the target.

As per the data, the rate of poverty reduction between 2004-05 to 2009-10 was 1.5 per cent every year whereas it was 0.7 per cent between 1993-94 to 2004-05.Later, the Commission had admitted there was discrepancy in NSSO data and national accounts which led to fixing such a poverty criteria.In May this year, the Commission constituted an expert group headed by noted economist C Rangarajan to review the Tendulkar Committee methodology for estimating poverty.The expert group is expected to give its report in 7-9 months.

India and Botswana have agreed to actively collaborate and share their experiences in the field of human settlements. This was decided at a meeting between an eight-member delegation led by Botswana’s Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration Mokgwetsi Masisi and Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja in New Delhi today. An official release says during their half-an-hour meeting, both the sides discussed the areas of mutual interest. These include slum upgradation and affordable housing. They also agreed to help each other in skill development and monitoring of training programmes for the beneficiaries through biometrics tracking system and community involvement in government programmes. AIR correspondent reports, the visiting delegation is on a week-long visit to India till 23rd of this month to observe India’s best practices on poverty eradication.

Planning Commission on Thursday constituted an expert group headed by noted Economist C. Rangarajan to review the Tendulkar Committee methodology for estimating poverty. Minister of State for Planning Ashwani Kumar told reporters today that the expert group is expected to give its report in 7-9 months.

Outlining the need for revisiting the methodology for estimating poverty, Ashwani Kumar said, that People's perspective about poverty has changed and there is a need to take a fresh look into the methodology for estimation of poverty in the country.

The Commission's estimates, based on Tendulkar Committee methodology, that people consuming more than Rs 28.65 per daily in cities and Rs 22.42 in rural areas are not poor, had triggered a controversy which even rocked Parliament.

He said that the poverty, based on Tendulkar Committee methodology has come down from 37.2 per cent in 2004-05 to 29.8 per cent in 2009-10 and the number of poor persons in the country has reduced from 40.7 crore in 2004-05 to 35.5 crore in 2009-10.

The Tendulkar Committee, which submitted its Report in 2009, has incorporated adequacy of expenditure from the normative and nutritional viewpoint.

The Minister said that the expert group will also recommend how the estimates of poverty should be linked to eligibility and entitlements for government's social sector schemes and programmes.

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia says, the rate of poverty decline has been doubled during the rule of UPA Government. Speaking to reporters in Hyderabad on the sidelines of a programme, Ahluwalia said before the year 2004, the poverty decline was 0.74 percent while it was 1.5 percent after the UPA Government took over. He said the benefits like PDS and Education are not linked with the poverty line and the observations of Tendulkar Committee about Poverty Line were based on scientific study. He disclosed that a Technical Expert Committee will be set up very soon to study the need for evolving a multi dimensional poverty line. Earlier, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has formally launched the Prime Minister’s Rural Development Fellows Scheme by inaugurating a training programme for the newly inducted Fellows. As many as 156 post graduates will work in 78 Maoist infested districts across nine states after the nine-week long training programme. These Fellows will coordinate and evaluate the development programmes being implemented in the Maoist infested regions where the Integrated Action Plan is in force. Jairam Ramesh said the Government will be considering extension of the scheme to all other Tribal Areas of the country.