Promise is not delivery: India Today

India's rapid economic growth has not entirely left the poor behind. The fraction of people who live under the poverty line has gone down from 46 per cent in 1983 to 28 per cent in 2004-05. Poor people can now afford cell phones, TVs, and some other of life's little treats. The SC/ST population has not been left out of this trend. Indeed it has caught up: In 1983, the average worker who was not from the SC/ST category used to earn 42 per cent more than one who was an sc/st. In 2004-2005, this gap was just 22 per cent. Yet, as the upset defeat of the NDA in the 2004 polls made clear, creating the conditions for robust economic growth, and counting on the tide to lift all boats was not sufficient to enlist the political support of the poor. Clearly, despite some progress in living standards, too many still felt left behind by "Shining India".