BPL: Move over IPL

It's estimated that 980,000 households in rural Britain are below the official poverty line, which is set at £16,492 a year. (link)

Holy cow! That indeed should be a matter of grave concern to Britian, right?

Now, take a look at India's poverty:

Around 26 percent of India's population lives below the poverty line (BPL), which is defined as 12 rupees per day. (link)

12 rupees a day = Rs. 4380 a year = £55 a year!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did a little reading up on Wikipedia about Poverty in India and this is what it said:

In 1830, India accounted for 17.6% of global industrial production against Britain's 9.5%. But by 1900, India's share was down to 1.7% against Britain's 18.5%.

Jawaharlal Nehru noted, "A significant fact which stands out is that those parts of India which have been longest under British rule are the poorest today."

Woah! I really hope this is shaking up some of the 19th Century Britishers in their graves!