Imaging the imaginary poverty line

For making welfare schemes for the poor, an imaginary poverty line is drawn distinguishing the categories which need state's assistance. Counting the poor and identifying the poor was done as per the slogan,"garibi hatao" or remove poverty was promised by contesting parties. And back in 1974 ways were devised to draw the imaginary poverty  line. Today the focus is to respond to the needs of the "aum admi" or the common man. But this common man has to be identified first. When the yardstick of "28 rupees per day income" is used, the number of people who fall below this line is very  few. That is that the number of below poverty people identified by the state is low and providing food subsidy for them would be easy. It was said that this yardstick was devised by the data on the state of economy in 2004-05 and when this was told to the public it was 2011.By then cost of living had increased considerably. And in 2011,this number was inadequate in defining the present poverty level.Now the line of 32 Rupees per day for urban areas and 28 Rupees per day for rural areas is the new adjusted figure. Even this is too too low to define the poor.

Now it is understood that the imaginary line is not a good tool to look at poverty.Other perspectives can be investigated. Consumption patterns, malnourished children, health of the individuals, clean drinking water, whether their children go to school, whether they live under proper roofs(pukka roof or thatch),whether they are the desperately poor or the vulnerable category and so on. How to make people afford food, shelter should be the angle of investigation rather than how to provide for the poor.There always will be some poor classes, but development of all should not be stalled. 

As per committees made to enumerate the poor, only 30% of the population are really really  poor, but additional 16% above them are given subsidy of free food along with them.After this 30% more people who need subsidy are also under public distribution scheme.That is 76% of the population will need food subsidy. Only 24% of the population are well-off enough not to need state's help.

If the state spends on food on such a huge part of the population, then how will have funds to allocate to spend on health,on research, on education, on development of infrastructures, on defence  expenditures and on payment to the state's workers?