Centre presenting wrong data on poverty: Nitish

Motihari, Jan 22: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday alleged that the Centre was presenting wrong data through national sample survey vis-a-vis the people living below the poverty line.

During the fourth day of his Vikas Yatra, Kumar visited Semra Tola village under Turkoliya block in East Champaran and took stock of the situation of the BPL people there.

After his visit, Kumar told reporters that 55 to 60 per cent people in Bihar were still below poverty line while the Centre has presented a figure of 42 per cent.

Expressing displeasure over the manner in which the economists and the policy makers put the poverty figures, Kumar said to get the first hand account they should visit villages instead of making opinion by seeing some good 'pucca' house in select places.

"The poverty figure would not come down by simply sitting in the national capital and formulating policies," he said adding that the Centre should formulate policies which could benefit poor people.

Bureau Report