While India has seen the growth of its economy rising from 5% in 1994 to a yearly growth rate of 8.5% in 2007, there continues to be abject poverty while a middle class of 253 million enjoy the benefits of this economic boom.

This disparity in wealth, a feature world wide has the levels of poverty showing a quantum jump even here, reaching the staggering figure of `836 million`, this figure represent the total populations of the US, the UK, France, Germany and Japan together.

Scrutinising the issues that are facing India an International Seminar on Poverty Alleviation chaired by MP and former member of the Planning Commission Dr Arjun Sengupta, who is also the Chairman of `The national Commission for Enterprise in the Unorganised Sector (NECUS)` said “Governments have to wake up from there slumber” and “do something Concrete”

Revealing more details of the study that prompted the seminar Dr Arjun Sengupta argued the disparity in wealth in Indian society cannot be controlled from the centre as sponsored schemes for the poor had now turned into “Wasteful Expenditure”. What was needed he said was “new opportunities” as the contrast of incomes of the poorest only being of 7rupees and the burgeoning middle classes earning 94rupees was unacceptable.

The seminar continues this weekend in Bihar (India) and as this global meeting takes shape the Chief Minister Nitish kumar who opened the event said it is “Hoped that the deliberations would be able to come to consensus on how to alleviate poverty from society as a whole”. Just how much Bull you read from this there is obviously a whole load of shit going to land on the poor as just as there has been the requisite slapping of the back of the middle classes for “Helping Change the economic perspective of the country (Dr Arjun Sengupta)” any analogy of this with the failed Americanised ethos that the `Rich will pull up poor` will land this country in an even poorer state.

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