Question

Who estimates poverty in India on the basis of calorie intake?

• A. Indian Council Medical Research (ICMR)
• B. The Ministry of Health
• C. The Planning Commission
• D. The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)

Answer 1

Answer:

C. The Planning Commission

• The Planning Commission was the primary government body responsible for formulating India's five-year plans and estimating poverty based on calorie intake.

• Poverty estimation in India has historically been linked to the concept of a poverty line, which was defined by the minimum calorie intake required for a person to be considered not poor.

• The Planning Commission, in its various expert group reports, adopted the methodology of defining poverty based on a minimum calorie consumption level. This level was typically set at 2400 calories per day for rural areas and 2100 calories per day for urban areas.

• This calorie-based approach was widely used until the early 2000s and was a significant feature of India's economic planning and poverty reduction strategies.

• It is important to note that while the Planning Commission was responsible for these estimates, the actual data collection and methodology refinement involved various expert committees, such as the Dandekar and Rath Committee (1971), the Lakdawala Committee (1993), and later the Tendulkar Committee (2009).

• The NITI Aayog has since replaced the Planning Commission in 2015 and is now responsible for poverty estimation, utilizing more comprehensive methodologies that go beyond just calorie intake.