Starvation, poverty lines keep increasing

Photo: AA

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The Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Türk-İş) has released the findings of the "Starvation and Poverty Line Survey," which it conducts every month to reveal the living conditions of employees and the effects of price changes to families' budgets.

For a family of four living in the capital city of Ankara, the "starvation line," which is defined as the minimum food expenditure for a healthy, sufficient and balanced diet, was 2,903 lira (1 US dollar = 8.55 Turkish lira) in June, the report says.

The poverty line, which is defined as the total amount of necessary expenditures such as housing, transportation, education and health, was 9,331 lira.

The hunger limit was 2,865 lira in June and 2,406 lira in the same period of last year. The poverty line was 9,331 lira in June and 7,838 lira in July 2020.

The monthly "living cost" of a single working person was 3,473 lira in June and 2,919 lira in July 2020.

Noting that the starvation line was again higher than the minimum wage, Türk-İş said it is clear that low-income families are not able to meet the expenses for a healthy and balanced diet. (HA/VK)