Niti Aayog may set up panel to draw up a new poverty line

NEW DELHI: The BJP government may soon come out with a new definition of poverty, with the Niti Aayog likely to set up a panel of experts to formulate a new 'poverty line'. The re-look at the controversial issue was necessitated as the Niti Aayog has to measure the impact of the government's anti-poverty schemes and other welfare initiatives, and set a target for poverty reduction while preparing its first 15-year vision document and seven-year strategy paper, which have replaced The Aayog, successor of the Planning Commission, is treading with caution on the estimation of the poverty line as the issue triggered a big controversy during UPA's tenure. Considering the sensitivity of the issue, a Niti Aayog official said the new poverty line will only define poverty, and won't be used to identify the poor or allocate resources under government schemes. It will purely be a tool to measure the impact of programmes, the official added. A top source said Niti Aayog vice-chairma ..