-The Hindustan Times
Do these people look well-off to you? The planning commission puts them above poverty line.
Basant Kumar, 51
Shopkeeper
Kusumpur Pahari slum,
Vasant Vihar, Delhi
Daily expense: Rs 53
Basant Kumar runs a little shop in a slum in Vasant Vihar,
home to over two lakh migrant families. He feeds and clothes his wife
and three children on his meagre earnings of Rs5,000 a month. He also
works odd-jobs, in construction or with halwais, to supplement his
income by a few hundred rupees. But the extra money is barely enough for
him to make ends meet. The family of five lives in a tiny home,
sleeping in a room barely ten feet by ten feet. Kumar can only purchase
second-hand clothes once a year. He borrows electricity from his
neighbour, for a single bulb outside his shop. He cannot afford to eat
fruit. He has no mobile phone, no scooter or cycle.
When he
applied for a ration card, he was given a white APL (Above Poverty Line)
card which excludes him from receiving any subsidised rations. “I have
to buy it black and eat from black,” he says, as he is compelled each
month to buy goods at lower prices from the black market. His
helplessness may be compounded. Kumar spends around Rs 53 daily. Going
by the Planning Commission’s notion, Kumar is one of thousands of
slum-dwellers above the poverty line.
Break up of expenses
Rs 19 on flour, rice and vegetables
Rs 20 on milk, spices
R 8 on edible oil and pulses
Rs 6 on cooking fuel
—Samar Khurshid
Lakshmi Vishkarma
Garland vendor
Kala Ghoda, Mumbai
Daily expense: Rs 32
Lakshmi
Vishkarma does not know her exact age and has no birth certificate, but
guesses she is about 30 years old. Currently pregnant with her fourth
child — her other three are aged five, three and one — she lives on a
footpath in Kala Ghoda, south Mumbai’s elite art district. Vishkarma and
her husband sell gajras (small flower garlands worn by women in their
hair) for a living and earn about Rs70 per day each. Of this, Rs35 is
spent on the string and flowers for their gajras, for which they take
turns walking to the Bhuleshwar market an hour away every day, so they
can buy their materials at wholesale rates. Deciding how to spend the
leftover Rs32 is actually very easy, says Vishkarma, laughing.
“It all goes on food.”
The family has virtually no possessions —
one large mat to sleep on, two bowls and two plates, some hand-me-down
clothes and broken toys for the children. With no roof over their heads,
they use a free public toilet nearby. And with no kitchen, they are
forced to buy all their food from a government snack stall nearby. The
Rs32 buys the family five rotis and a bowl each of rice, dal and
vegetable. These are portioned out carefully so that they can be spread
out over two meals. “On good days, when we have earned maybe Rs40 on the
previous day, we also buy a little tea and bread for breakfast, which
costs Rs8.”
Either way, the family says they are always hungry. “Local residents
and restaurant owners give us leftovers,” says Vishkarma. With
absolutely no money, the children do not go to school. Vishkarma and her
husband, who were both born and raised on the pavements too, have never
travelled beyond Bhuleshwar.
Break up of expenses
Rs 10 on mogra flowers for gajras
Rs 6 on string for gajras
Rs 5 on rotis to be shared with family
Rs 6 on a plate of dal and rice to be shared with family
Rs5 on a bowl of vegetables to be shared with family
— Riddhi Doshi
Just to provide a contrast, here’s what middle class professionals spend
Priya Batra, 38
Head of marketing with an MNC
Noida, National Capital Region
Daily expenses: Rs 1500 approx
Priya
Batra, mother of a one-year-old son, lives with her husband in a joint
family set-up in Noida. Batra works full-time, contributing to the
running of her immediate family along with her husband who’s a director
in an insurance firm. Batra earns approximately Rs 3,75,000 a month. She
and her husband, earn over a crore a year. They save over 50% of the
earnings after deducting basic expenses plus EMIs on two properties.
Batra and her husband have a car and driver each to themselves, who are
paid Rs10,000 each. Batra’s husband carries lunch from home, while she
prefers to order from the office canteen for which she spends Rs50 per
day.
Batra’s 5-day work week, includes dropping her son with his full
time maid (who is paid Rs4,000 per month) to her parents’ house in
Nizammudin. She collects them on her way back from office at around 7
pm. Batra spends around Rs500 on fuel daily. Saturdays are mall days
with husband and son, which includes shopping, watching a movie and
eating out, which comes to around Rs10,000 per outing. Sundays are
easier with guests dropping in at home. Once or twice in a working week
Batra orders in orgetstakeaways for the entire family, (Rs3,000 per
takeaway) while groceries or other household expenses are taken care of
by her in-laws. Batra likes splurging on watches and collecting ethnic
jewellery which costs above Rs 1,00,000.
Break up of expenses
Rs 1,000 Fuel for two cars
Rs 350 Diapers, wipes and milk powder for her son
Rs 50 Lunch from office cafeteria
Rs 20-100 Parking tickets
A packed dinner from Big Chill for the entire family once a week Rs 3,000
Every Saturday mall trip Rs10,000 which includes movie, meal and
shopping (toys and clothes for her son, shoes and clothes for herself)
Eating out on an average of 3-4 times a month with her husband Rs6,000-8,000
Wages for two drivers and two maids – Rs18,000 per month
TV and Wi-Fi subscriptions Rs1,000 a month
Ordering coffee from CCD in office while entertaining clients Rs700 per month
Buying a watch (such as Tag or Omega) once in six months Rs1, 50,000 each
A jewellery piece/set on occasions/festival Rs40,000-Rs2, 00,000 each
– Shalini Singh
Megha Sheth, 27
HR executive
Wadala, Mumbai
Daily expenses: Rs 330
Megha
Sheth, 27, an HR executive with a software company, has an MBA degree
and a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering. She has been working
for three years. Megha earns Rs31,250 a month and lives with her
parents, grandmother, uncle, aunt and two cousins in a 1,500-sq-ft
four-bedroom flat in Wadala. She has her own 200-sq-ft room. Shopping is
a monthly ritual. “If not clothes, I buy some tech stuff such as a pen
drive or an accessory for my phone or for my room,” she says. Each month
the shopping bill is around Rs4,000.
She spends another Rs8,000 on recreation, (she is a vegetarian Jain
and does not drink). Her outings include a movie or dinner with friends
at least twice a week. Her cellphone bill is around Rs600 and she buys
fuel for Rs1,500 per month when she takes the family car out on
weekends. Conveyance to her office in Vikhroli is another Rs1,200 per
month. “I go by bus and come back by train and have to take a rickshaw
from the railway station,” she says. Sheth spends about Rs500 a month on
snacks. She does not contribute towards household expenses, so despite
her expenses she still saves around Rs12,000 every month, which she
invests in fixed deposit schemes and mutual funds.
Break up of expenses
Rs40 travelling to office by bus, train and rickshaw
Rs50 petrol expenses everyday
Rs20 mobile bill
Rs15-20 snacks
Rs100-200 shopping
Rs2000 – movies and dinner every week
Rs5000 – Holiday once in two months
— Riddhi Doshi