Although the government of Mr. García strives to make us believe that poverty is in retreat it is certain that this endemic problem-inherent to colonial and republican Peru still remains intact and perhaps if up to higher incidence in urban and rural populations in the Andes.
All students of this problems indicate that poverty is multidimensional . And so their measurements are subject to different instruments which often are unreliable and contradictory to .
optimistic figures showing the current government are based on monetary measurement which assesses whether an individual is unable or unwilling to meet their basic needs in terms of monthly income it receives. Thus, it is considered poor in Lima if the individual has an income of less than 310 new soles (ie, the equivalent of U.S. $ 107). Supposedly , this figure is the monthly expenditure per capita to acquire a "basic basket" . However, the problem is that this " basket" is defined with 52 commodities dating from 1997 and to date have not been updated .
probably, if these parameters were changed for 12 years, the percentage of poor would not be the same (36.2% poor and 12.6% extremely poor ) today show.
If you live outside the capital Lima, a city in coastal or mountain of medium importance, the figure is somewhat lower (255 nuevos soles, ie approximately , $ 88), now if you live in a town Andes, to be considered poor must have a monthly income less than 197 suns, that is, U.S. $ 68 .
But that's not all, our technicians are working to measure also extreme poverty (poverty) in the capital found to be indigent must have a monthly income of 149 soles or less (51 dollars). If you are outside of Lima, some soles low figure standing at 143 soles (49 dollars) and if you live in a rural Andean settlement, the amount decreases to 128 soles (44 dollars).
What these figures we mentioned? Well, almost nothing. Because if, for example, you have a monthly income exceeding the 311 soles and lives in the capital, according to statistics, are no longer poor. Also, if you receive 150 soles per month would also be indigent and would only become poorer. Do you think that changing their small wages for more sun, sun or less, change their social situation? Obviously not. But so are the measurements of the macro variables.
The situation in real life is much more dramatic than the frosty relationship of statistical indicators. A large section of the working population only earns the minimum wage found in the 550 nuevos soles (U.S. $ 189) and which has to feed, clothe and educate (and not mentioned health expenses, transport, recreation, or culture) an average family of 4 members. If the basic food basket is estimated at 1.900 soles (655 dollars) you take your own food to share enough to cover (we're sure you will not even begin to cover a decent lunch calories, protein, vitamins and minerals your body needs and are recommended by the WHO ). But much worse, spend those workers unemployed and underemployed that swarm through the streets in a hopeless search for a working place, no longer to exist, but simply to survive.
Given this dramatic situation, the APRA government leading Mr. Alan Garcia Perez, not think best plan census of the "head of household" and give them 100 soles ( U.S. $ 34), believing that this ridiculous sum, it will somewhat alleviate the chronic poverty in which they live hundreds of thousands of impoverished families.
Meanwhile, large transnational continue taking the dollars windfall profits and per tonne to full view of the entire political class that governs us. They are not asked about income taxes, but simply passes the hat asking for a voluntary mite that never comes. Is that "... if we straight and demand that laws can be upset and then fail to invest ... " is what they say. And so it goes with the scheme APRA once raised the banner of " anti-imperialism "and" anti -capitalism. " When did lose the compass?
