Montek, Jairam reach deal, Rs 32 BPL cap may go

New Delhi: The government is likely to revise the Rs 32 yardstick for poverty on Monday.

This development comes after Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh reached an agreement on the issue of the per capita Below Poverty Line (BPL) cap in a meeting.

According to reports, Ahluwalia and Ramesh agreed both on entitlement as well and the BPL cap.

Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Jairam Ramesh are likely to make an official announcement today.

They are slated to hold a joint press conference at 3 pm.

It was the first meeting between them after a controversial affidavit, endorsed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was filed in the Supreme Court. The matter will come up in the court on October 11.

The view of the Planning Commission that a person can meet expenditure of 'food, health and education' with a sum of Rs 32 in the cities and Rs 26 in the villages had sparked widespread disbelief and condemnation forcing the Congress party to go into damage control.

Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi too was reportedly unhappy with these figures.

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