The Planning Commission is setting a target of reducing poverty by 10 per cent by the end of 12th plan. The Commission had set a similar target during the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12).Talking to reportrs on the sidelines of a conference in New Delhi today Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said that this needs more work to achieve the target.

As per the data, the rate of poverty reduction between 2004-05 to 2009-10 was 1.5 per cent every year whereas it was 0.7 per cent between 1993-94 to 2004-05.Later, the Commission had admitted there was discrepancy in NSSO data and national accounts which led to fixing such a poverty criteria.In May this year, the Commission constituted an expert group headed by noted economist C Rangarajan to review the Tendulkar Committee methodology for estimating poverty.The expert group is expected to give its report in 7-9 months.