Poverty lines and human dignity

Mr. Mander is not happy about the current threshold of the poverty line, which according to him  is very low and that any such threshold should be made on the basis of guaranteeing elementary human dignity. 

Before we can hastily conclude that poverty is indeed vanishing from our land, both government and the middle classes must collectively affirm the right of every human being to a decent living standard, to nutritious and diverse food, to safe housing, to clean water, to quality education, to healthcare, and construct its poverty line on this basis. Only when people are able to access decent wages, sufficient food, good education, healthcare, decent housing, clean water and sanitation, should they be deemed to rise above poverty. That clearly has not yet happened for most among the millions that the Planning Commission claims have been freed from poverty. (Link)

    1)     However, in his opinion piece doesn't hints at what he thinks would be a good threshold below which people are considered poor, but merely leaves the reader with a romantic notions of striving to achieve elementary “human dignity.”

Considering India’s per capita income of Rs 60,000 as the poverty threshold, which amounts to an income of little more than Rs. 160/day (as against the poverty line Rs. 32/day for the urban folks) may still not assure human dignity.

2)      Human dignity includes a lot of things but yet a target is nonetheless needed.  And this is what the threshold of Rs. 32/day serves. It has to be some reasonable number.

3)      How is the reader informed or guided by notions of human dignity. The reality is we are a $1,500 per capita income country and there is only so much we can spend on re-distributive poverty scheme.

4)      Why should the government be called upon to affirm the dignity of individuals, as if they could easily take it in their stride, as if they didn’t have enough on their plate, as if they were great at playing by the rule, as if they really cared about human dignity!