This refers to T N Ninan’s column “Parliamentary chutzpah” (Weekend ruminations, March 25). It seems that our politicians are more interested in arriving at a “correct” definition of poverty rather than implementing economic programmes that could alleviate it. Executing programmes that will (1) provide a minimum income to below-poverty-line families; (2) give access to healthcare at an affordable cost and; (3) ensure that every child goes to school are the main challenges before our planners. But unfortunately our politicians do not wish to face these challenges head on, preferring instead a mere “healthy” debate on “poverty definitions”. The solution lies in corruption-free implementation of rural employment generation programmes, revamping our public distribution system, and better utilisation of the existing strength of trained teachers and healthcare staff employed in government-run hospitals and primary healthcare centres.
Narendra M Apte, Pune
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