In a statement that smacks of being out of touch at best, and utterly callous at worst, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said that a sum of Rs 600 was more than sufficient for a family of five to sustain itself.

In a statement that smacks of being out of touch at best, and utterly callous at worst, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said that a sum of Rs 600 was more than sufficient for a family of five to sustain itself.

"In Rs 600, he would get dal, rice and wheat. A family of five can easily complete their needs," Dikshit said while launching the UPA's new food security scheme Dilli Annashree Yojna which will transfer Rs 600 per month to the Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of the senior-most women member of poor families.

And as can be expected, the opposition has pounced on the comment.

"Hundred years back, people may be able to meet their needs in 600. But, in the present age when you don't even get a single meal in Rs 600, the Congress is insulting the poor by launching such schemes", said BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to CNN-IBN.

Dikshit's comments on the poor were reminiscent of comments Planning Commission Deputy Chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia who claimed that a person could fund 'food, health and education' with a sum of Rs 32 per day in the cities and Rs 26 in the villages.

PTI