This refers to Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia “factually correct” comment — on the widely criticised affidavit filed by the Commission before the Supreme Court, which had stated that Rs.25 a day in rural areas constituted adequate private expenditure on food, education and health (Sept. 27). Dr. Ahluwalia is only trying to defend the indefensible when he says that people have misread the affidavit. Is it his assumption? Is Rs.3,600 a year, for instance, adequate for a rural person? Perhaps, Dr. Ahluwalia needs to read Mr. P. Sainath's articles to know what it is like to be living in a rural area. In China, where Dr. Ahluwalia is for the Strategic Economic Dialogue meet, rural service is mandatory for government employees.
A.V. Narayanan,
Tiruchi
