My criteria for assessing poverty is whether a person can earn at least $2 per day and whether he/she is hungry or not. On that basis, I would estimate a full 90% of Indians are poor - about 1080 million people.
Arundathi Rai's (a Booker prize winning very controversial writer) recent remarks confirms this number, although Nobelist Dr. Amartya Sen thinks very generously that as much as 20% of Indians are "privileged", which leaves 80% are "not privileged" meaning poor, I guess.
Dr. Sen observes that in spite of India's GDP growth in the past 20 years, the tangible measures like infant mortality, childhood immunization, girl's education and life longevity take a beating in India (ranks second worst) comparing to the immediate neighbors like Srilanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan etc.
But if you turn on the TV or media reports (printing and electronic) most of the news coverage is about the very small faction (10-20%) of the total population - "the privileged" faction, and not about the vast majority.
Why?
I thought the Majority normally veils the power to dominate the discussion on a local and the national level in Democracy where Majority Principle is the ruling force.
I charge that in India, somehow, Minority has grabbed the media and the political process to shut out the poor - the Majority.
Is this NOT a conspiracy? This bothers me....
More later....
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