Welcome to the Babel of numbers. Till last week, every third person in the world living on an income of less than a dollar a day, was an Indian. This week, the World Bank announced a new measure of poverty. Now anyone living with an income of under $1.25 (Rs 55) per day was poor. By this measure again, every third person living under the poverty line was an Indian. You would be justified in exclaiming what the heck is all the blather about! But there is a change in the absolute magnitude. Last week, 266.5 mn Indians were living under the poverty line. This week, the World Bank reported, 455.8 mn people (more than 384.2 mn in sub-Saharan Africa) live on an income of less than $1.25 and thus, under the poverty line. Very simply, the report is not the best endorsement for the UPA which has dined off the plank of inclusive growth through its tenure. In just one week, the number of people living under the poverty line has shot up by 189.3 million. Nor could it have come at a more inopportune time in the run up to the elections. After all, this Government has bragging rights only for the 9 per cent GDP growth and the yet to be cached nuclear deal. Sure the Government could argue about the methodology but opposition parties are unlikely to let go a chance to use the optics of higher poverty. Already Prakash Karat, CPI(M) general secretary, has characterised the finding as proof