Poverty Rate Down to 21.9 Pct, Says Planning Commission

Planning Commission gave out the poverty ratio using the same criteria saying the number poor in the country have shrunk in the past 7 years.

The Commission said that for a family of five, the all India poverty line in terms of consumption expenditure would amount of Rs 4,080 per month in rural areas and Rs 5,000 per month in urban areas. The poverty line, however, will vary from state to state.

State-wise, the Commission said the poverty ratio was highest in Chhattisgarh at 39.93 per cent followed by Jharkhand (36.96 percent), Manipur (36.89 percent), Arunachal Pradesh (34.67 percent) and Bihar (33.47 percent).

Among the union territories, the Dadra and Nagar Haveli was the highest, with 39.31 per cent people living below poverty line followed by Chandigarh at 21.81 percent.

Goa has the least percentage of people living below poverty line at 5.09 per cent followed by Kerala (7.05 percent), Himachal Pradesh (8.06 percent), Sikkim (8.19 percent), Punjab (8.26 percent) and Andhra Pradesh (9.20 percent).