Montek Singh backs Suresh Tendulkar Committee on BPL nos

Even as the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on the Food Security Bill deliberates on the number of people to be declared beneficiaries under the act, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the deputy chairman of Planning Commission, has endorsed the estimate of the Suresh Tendulkar Committee, which will increase the number of poor in the country by 10%.

“Personally, I think the recommendation made by the Tendulkar report regarding higher number of people that need to be covered under BPL schemes is reasonable. Planning Commission will review the Tendulkar Report soon,” said Ahluwalia.

Ahluwalia’s view is significant considering UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has expressed unhappiness over the fact that the draft bill agreed to target only 6.5 crore BPL cardholders, based on obsolete data.

Going by the Tendulkar Committee’s estimate, BPL cardholder list will increase to a little over 8 crore.

At present, funding the food security scheme will entail a cost of over Rs 45,000 crore.

However, if the Suresh Tendulkar Committee’s higher poverty estimates are accepted then the cost may increase to Rs 65,000 crore, according to sources.

Ahluwalia has also endorsed the view that the government should provide 35 kg of foodgrains per family at Rs 3 per kg, instead of just 25 kg per family.

The EGoM on Food Security Bill, headed by the finance minister, Pranab Mukherjee, had cleared the draft with only 25 kg of foodgrains entitlement for selected beneficiaries. “A lot of people are getting 35 kg of foodgrains under the existing food security schemes. If we implement the food security bill that unifies all other schemes into one, I think it would be reasonable to give 35 kg of foodgrains,” Montek added.

Ahluwalia also said that as the National Census has already begun that will produce the new numbers of poor people in the next two years, the government can later adapt its scheme according to the new numbers produced by the census.