Most people in India want BPL tag: montek

GULBARGA: Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission of India Montek Singh Ahluwalia said that most of the people in India want to remain below the poverty line in order to receive food grains at subsidised rates.He told reporters here on Monday that as asked by the government and some organisations, the Planning Commission would constitute a technical committee to determine the below poverty line (BPL). On the Supreme Court’s directions to the Centre to go ahead with the proposed river linking project, Montek said that though he was in favour of the project, the matter needs consideration as it involves environmental and economical issues.  “The project needs work to determine whether we could use water to the optimal  level if it succeeds,” Ahluwalia added. On the implementation of Right to Education Act, he said that it was not necessary to recruit a large number of teachers. The governments can recruit teachers as and when needed. Ahluwalia agreed that drought was not included in the ambit of Natural Calamity Fund. “But, there must be provision by the Union government to provide assistance to drought affected places,” he opined.