Step 1: Overview of the Lakdawala Committee.
The Lakdawala Committee, formed in 1993, is responsible for suggesting the calorie-based criteria for determining India's poverty line. The committee recommended that the poverty line be based on a minimum calorie intake requirement, which was widely accepted for several years.
Step 2: Analysis of options.
- (A) Tendulkar Committee: The Tendulkar Committee suggested a new method to determine poverty, but it was based on consumption expenditure, not just calories.
- (B) Lakdawala Committee: Correct, this committee suggested the calorie criteria for determining the poverty line.
- (C) Planning Commission: The Planning Commission provided the platform for committees like Lakdawala to propose poverty measures, but did not suggest the calorie-based method itself.
- (D) Rangarajan Committee: The Rangarajan Committee revised poverty estimates later, but it did not propose the calorie-based criteria.
Step 3: Conclusion.
The correct answer is (B) Lakdawala Committee.