9th Social Science NCERT Economics Chapter 3

The poverty line in India is estimated by conducting sample surveys periodically, normally every five years, by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO. The poverty line for a person was fixed at Rs 816 per month for rural areas and Rs 1000 for urban areas in 2011-12, based on the nutritional requirements and cost of essential products in urban centers.

The appropriateness of the present methodology of poverty estimation is subjective and open to interpretation. Students may provide varying opinions on whether the current methodology effectively captures the reality of poverty in India.

Poverty ratios in India have shown a decline over the years. From about 45% in 1993-94, the poverty ratio decreased to about 37.2% in 2004-05 and further to about 22% in 2011-12. The number of poor declined from 407 million in 2004-05 to 270 million in 2011-12 with an average annual decline of 2.2 percentage points during 2004-05 to 2011-12.

Poverty in India is attributed to various factors such as unequal distribution of income and resources, lack of access to education and healthcare, unemployment and underemployment, social discrimination, and inadequate government policies for poverty alleviation.

Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe households are identified as the most vulnerable social groups to poverty in India. Economically, rural agricultural labor households and urban casual labor households are considered the most vulnerable groups to poverty.