Poorest Of Poor Survive On Rs 17 A Day In Indian Villages: NSSO

New Delhi: Poorest of poor in India survive on barely Rs 17 per day in villages and Rs 23 a day in cities, as per the latest data released by the National Sample Survey Office.

According to the data, which relates to 2011-12 (July-June), five percent population on the bottom rung had an average monthly per capita expenditure (MCPE) of Rs 521.44 in rural areas and Rs 700.50 in urban areas.

On the other end of the spectrum, top five percent of the population had an MPCE of Rs 4,481 in rural areas and Rs 10,282 in urban areas.

The National Sample Survey Office's (NSSO) 68th round of survey is based on samples consisting of 7,496 villages in rural India and 5,263 urban blocks except some remote areas, during July 2011-June 2012, the release said.

On an average on the all-India basis, MPCE was around Rs 1,430 for rural India and about Rs 2,630 for urban India.

"Thus average urban MPCE was about 84 percent higher than average rural MPCE for the country as a whole, though there were wide variations in this differential across states," it said.

For the average rural Indian, food accounted for 52.9 per cent of the value of consumption during 2011-12. This included 10.8 percent for cereals and cereal substitutes, 8 percent for milk and milk products, 7.9 percent on beverages, refreshments and processed food, and 6.6 percent on vegetables, the release said.

Among non-food item categories, fuel and light for household purposes (excluding transportation) accounted for 8 percent, clothing and footwear 7 percent, medical expenses 6.7 percent, education 3.5 percent, conveyance 4.2 percent, other consumer services (excluding conveyance) 4 percent, and consumer durables 4.5 percent.

For the average urban Indian, 42.6 percent of the value of household consumption was accounted for food, including 9 percent by beverages, refreshments and processed food, 7 percent by milk and milk products, and 6.7 percent by cereals and cereal substitutes.

Also Read: Flood: A Bane to 30 Million Indians
Also Read: No Solution to India's Hunger Problem: Loss of Rs 45 Cr Worth of Food Grain in 5 yrs