Counting the poor, courting their votes

POVERTY LINE Counting the poor The Suresh Tendulkar Committee's estimate of poverty in the country has reopened the debate on how the poor should be counted, what benefits they should receive from the state, and how. Food security
INFLATION Albert Pinto's missing anger In the old days, government was responsible for controlling inflation. Now if you feel the pinch of inflation, you have to fend for yourself, and especially because everyone is so busy looking after you. Economy		BPL BENEFICIARIES CIC orders publication of PDS details CIC Shailesh Gandhi orders that information about the public distribution system and its beneficiaries should be made public, offering hope that a corrupt system may finally see some reform. Food security | Delhi | RTI		NREGS A new twist to social audits The district administration in Bihar's Araria district collaborates with a local people's organisation to conduct a social audit of the NREGS. Employment | RTI | Bihar
POVERTY IN ORISSA Starvation deaths continue, as officials demur BPL politics at the central level is skewed, and quotas are fixed for every state, regardless of the actual number of people who need to be protected. Food security | Orissa		BUNDELKHAND Living with drought The rains may have failed Bundelkhand but more than this it is the governments that have forsaken the people over the years. Madhya Pradesh | Uttar Pradesh		OPINION: FOOD SECURITY Food for all? Not through the NFSA. The National Food Security Act proposes to lower ration prices, but would also reduce the quantity of grain that is given to each family. Devinder Sharma | Food security