MORE ON THE INTRICACIES OF POVERTY IN INDIA

Poverty is complex and cannot be captured only through a head count ratio and percentage of individuals who cannot afford that minimum consumption basket

- BIBEK DEBROY

INFORMATION technology has wonderful uses, and there are huge pluses associated with the digital world. Therefore, I have received e-mails on the column published on September 19, Making sense of GDP growth and poverty. Years ago, these would have been in the form of letters to the editor, not all of which would have been published. When readers write in, a columnist is gratified. The gratification is greater when a column is read and understood, not merely glanced at.

Many years ago, I wrote a column on trade unions and labour laws. I was travelling that day, and a reader came up to me at the airport and said, "I greatly enjoyed your column today." I was flattered. Since another column had appeared in another newspaper that day, I asked, "On what?" This was a time when onion prices had skyrocketed, and he replied, "Onion prices." I was promptly deflated, but hopefully didn't show it, and nodded sagely (The other column wasn't on onions either).

The thrust of the September 19 column was, "There is no inconsistency in this.

They measure different things." Specifically, readers have written in on what I said about poverty. What did I say? The last NSS consumption expenditure survey was held in 2011-12. The last Tendulkar poverty line is also for 2011-12. I had said, "My guess is in the absence of data... India's overall poverty ratio will be around 18% today." My guess, not my estimate.