Trying to work on reducing poverty is like trying to fight a war on terror.You will get no where with such an abstract and undefined cause. Rather Indians have chosen to concentrate and improve on concrete goals which I am sure will lead to elimination of poverty in time.

Flying to the moon has tremendous symbolic value which will energise the raising economy. And hey it was done for just 80 million dollars, so its not exactly a huge indulgence if you think about it.

Yes, India can't stop technological advancement because of the reason that a portion of its population lives below poverty line. All aspects (technology, standard of living and all other things) have to improve in parallel.

bingo!!! you said it :)

No. Poverty gets reduced as a side effect of technological advancement. It has always been that way.

Totally.

More for a country like India there is no other way out than to get more and more people educated and build an awareness.

India needs yet another revolution like the Freedom Movement in the 1900's to take the next leap.