The poverty line is quite unsatisfactory when it comes to grasping the extent of poverty in India. It is not only because of its extremely narrow definition of 'who is poor' and the debatable methodology used to count the poor, but also because of a more fundamental assumption underlying it. It exclusively relies on the notion of poverty as insufficient income or insufficient purchasing power. One can better categorize it by calling it income poverty. If poverty is ultimately about deprivations affecting human well-being, then income poverty is only one aspect of it. Poverty of a life, in our view, lies not merely in the impoverished state in which the person actually lives, but also in the lack of real opportunity given by social constraints as well as personal circumstances–to choose other types of living. Even the relevance of low incomes, meagre possessions, and other aspects of what are standardly seen as economic poverty relate ultimately to their role in curtailing capabilities, i.e., their role in severely restricting the choices people have to lead variable and valued lives. Why is the methodology adopted in India to count the 'poor' debatable?
There is some confusion regarding what should constitute the 'poverty line'.
There are wide diversities in the condition of the rural and urban poor.
There is no uniform global standard for measuring income poverty.
It is based on the proposition of poverty as meagre income or buying capacity.
Option (a) is incorrect. The methodology for counting the 'poor' is debatable because it primarily emphasizes the income dimension, excluding other dimensions of poverty such as lack of opportunity. Therefore, this answer option is incorrect. Option (b) is incorrect because the passage does not discuss the classification of urban and rural poverty, making it beyond the scope of the passage. Option (c) is incorrect because the passage focuses on the Indian scenario and does not mention global standards of poverty estimation. Therefore, this answer option is incorrect. Option (d) is correct because it highlights why the poverty estimation methodology used in India is debatable. The passage states that the methodology exclusively relies on the notion of poverty as insufficient income or purchasing power, indicating a limitation. It suggests that poverty should not be solely defined by lack of income but should also consider other social and personal circumstances that limit access to improved living standards.
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