ISLAMABAD, Dec 4: Pakistan Human Condition Report, 2003, launched on Thursday, reports a further increase in the proportion of people living under the official national poverty line to stand at 38.1 per cent.

This percentage is based upon official definition that accepts 2,350 calories per day as the minimum caloric requirement at prices of the year 2000-01.

The first such report issued last year had shown the poverty line as 30.6 on the same basis.

Produced jointly by the Centre for Research in Poverty Reduction and Income Distribution (CRPRID), UNDP and UNOPS, the report noted that as markets and prices often fail to produce the desired outcomes, “government intervention through its redistributive role is needed to achieve economic stability, reduce poverty and inequality, improve human development conditions and reduce vulnerability of the marginalized, the destitute and the poor by creating sustainable livelihood opportunities”.

It reaffirms that education is the key factor for lifting communities and individuals out of poverty.

The launching ceremony was held at the Planning Commission and attended, besides Minister for Finance and Planning Shaukat Aziz, Secretary, Planning Division, Javed Sadiq Malik, Director, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) Dr A.R. Kemal, by a large number of economists and mediapersons.

The analyses and policy conclusions of the report are derived from empirical research based on Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES) data for two periods, 1998-99 and 2000-01.

It also includes chapters contributed by Dr Mushtaq A. Khan, director, CRPRID; Dr Pervez Tahir, Dr A.R. Kemal, Dr Mohammad Aslam Khan, Dr G.M. Arif and Noshin Hussain. Dr Mushtaq and Dr Musaddiq Malik of the National Commission for Human Development presented salient features of the report.

The report introduces the concept of poverty quartiles that shows that out of 32.1 per cent population officially categorized as poor, fewer than five per cent are extremely poor, while more than 62 per cent are transitory poor.

Lurking just below the poverty line, they can be expected to move above it, according to the authors. For this purpose, the entire population has been divided into six bands, namely, non- poor, transitory non-poor, transitory vulnerable (above the poverty line), and transitory poor, chronically poor and extreme poor. Poverty, the report states, has forced the households to combat poverty by resort to employment. But, this has only meant increase in the number of child labourers.

Drawing upon Pakistan Socio-Economic Survey by PIDE, the report notes that only a quarter of the poorest households moved out of poverty during the period 1998-2001. A substantial proportion of the households just below the poverty line moved out of poverty.

The report, however, does not go into the proportion of households that fell into poverty due to the withdrawal of the government from its responsibility towards welfare of the people.

The total consumption of households in ‘fell in poverty’ category declined by 50 per cent, mainly owing to reduction in food consumption.

Majority of the households that were poor during the periods 1998-99 and 2000-01 either did not own land or owned only a small piece of land. The poorest households own low value livestock.

The chapter contributed by Dr Mushtaq observes that in spite of substantial improvement in the total food supply situation over the last three decades, malnutrition continues to be one of the serious problems in Pakistan by being a major cause of high mortality among children and high morbidity among women (mothers). The connection between malnutrition, disease and poverty has so far in Pakistan not received the priority that it deserves, he remarked. Prevalence of malnutrition has changed very little over the last 20 years, he said.

Instead, it has doubled, with the number of malnourished children estimated at about eight million. Yet, eliminating malnutrition would cut child mortality by more than 50 per cent and reduce the burden of disease in developing countries by 20 per cent, he said.

The finance minister quoted figures to show that his government had increased allocations to soft sectors (education and health), but he did not say how much of those had actually been disbursed by his ministry.

Dr Musaddiq Malik observed that GDP was not the sole measure of quality of life. Given the poor standing of Pakistan in Human Development Index (144th or 136th among 173 nations), it was apprehended that this country would not be able to achieve the Millennium Goals of United Nations.

Executive Director, Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy, Dr Shehnaz Wazir Ali, appreciated the efforts put in for production of the report. Criticizing, the sorry state of the schools, she said it was not sufficient to go to school. The children must also imbibe some meaningful knowledge.

She also lamented the silence of public policy on land reforms without which people could neither be empowered nor could they get rid of endemic poverty.

Onder Yucer, resident representative of UNDP, stressed the need for disseminating the report widely to ensure that its findings reached decision makers, civil society, media, the donor community and academia.