Lok Sabha Question No. 570 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-16
Subject: Decline in Poverty
Ministry: PLANNING
Asked by: Arun Sao

## †570. SHRI ARUN SAO:

Will the Minister of PLANNING be pleased to state:

- (a)    whether poverty is declining in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)   the State-wise number of people living below poverty line in the country including Chhattisgarh;
- (c)  whether the Government carries out a periodical review of methodology to assess the  poverty;
- (d)   if so, the details with regard to review conducted during the last three years; and
- (e)   the outcome of the said review and the reaction of the Government thereto?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS & PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

## (RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

- (a) The official poverty estimates are based on data of Large Sample Surveys on Household Consumer Expenditure carried out by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The latest data of Large Sample Survey on Household Consumer Expenditure  has  been  collected  by  NSSO  in  its  68 th round  conducted  in  2011-12.  The  poverty estimates for 2011-12 have been computed following the extant Tendulkar methodology and these have been released through a Press Note issued on 22nd July 2013. According to this Press Note, the number of persons living below poverty line in India has been estimated as 27 crore (21.9%) in 201112 as compared to 40.76 crore (37.2%) in 2004-05. The rate of decline of poverty ratio during 200405 to 2011-12 was 2.18 % per year.
- (b) The State-wise number of people living below poverty line in the country including Chhattisgarh are given at Annexure.
- (c) &(d)  In  India,  the  erstwhile  Planning  Commission  was  the  nodal  agency  in  the  Government  for estimation of the poverty in the country and it used a poverty line based on per capita consumption expenditure  as  the  criterion  to  determine  the  persons  living  below  the  poverty  line  (BPL).  The methodology  to  estimate  poverty  has  been  reviewed  from  time  to  time.  In  1977,  the  erstwhile

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PLANNING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 570 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.09.2020

## DECLINE IN POVERTY

Planning Commission constituted a Task Force on poverty under the chairmanship of Dr. Y.K. Alagh which submitted its report in 1979 and the erstwhile Planning Commission accepted its recommendations in the same year.  In September, 1989, it constituted the Expert Group under the chairmanship of Prof. D.T. Lakdawala for estimation of poverty and it submitted its report in 1993 and erstwhile Planning Commission accepted its recommendations in 1997. The erstwhile Planning Commission constituted an Expert Group under the chairmanship of Prof. Suresh D. Tendulkar in 2005 to review the methodology for estimation of poverty. The expert group submitted its report in November, 2009 and the erstwhile Planning Commission accepted its recommendations in January, 2011. Presently, the official poverty estimates are based on Tendulkar methodology. In June 2012, erstwhile  Planning  Commission  constituted  an  Expert  Group  under  the  Chairmanship  of  Dr.  C. Rangarajan to 'Review the Methodology for Measurement of Poverty'. The Expert Group submitted its report on 30th June 2014. However, the Government is yet to take decision on the report submitted by the Expert Group.

After the formation of NITI Aayog which replaced the erstwhile Planning Commission a Task Force  on  Elimination  of  Poverty  in India  was  constituted  on  16th  March,  2015  under  the Chairmanship of Dr. Arvind Panagariya, former Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog. The report of the Task Force was submitted to Prime Minister's Office on 11 th July, 2016. The Terms of Reference for the Task Force inter alia included to 'Develop a working definition of poverty'. The report of the Task Force  primarily  focuses  on  issues  of  measurement  of  poverty  and  strategies  to  combat  poverty. Regarding estimation of poverty, the report of the Task Force states that 'a consensus in favour of either the Tendulkar or a higher poverty line did not emerge. Therefore, the Task Force has concluded that the matter be considered in greater depth by the country's top experts on poverty before a final decision is made. Accordingly, it is recommended that an expert committee be set up to arrive at an informed decision on the level at which the poverty line should be set.'

(e) The Report of the Task Force is under consideration of the Government.

Annexure Number and Percentage of Population below poverty line by states-2011-12 (Tendulkar Methodology)

| Sl. No.   | States                    | Rural           | Rural                  | Urban           | Urban                  | Total           | Total                  |
|-----------|---------------------------|-----------------|------------------------|-----------------|------------------------|-----------------|------------------------|
| Sl. No.   | States                    | %age of Persons | No. of Persons (lakhs) | %age of Persons | No. of Persons (lakhs) | %age of Persons | No. of Persons (lakhs) |
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh            | 10.96           | 61.80                  | 5.81            | 16.98                  | 9.20            | 78.78                  |
| 2         | Arunachal Pradesh         | 38.93           | 4.25                   | 20.33           | 0.66                   | 34.67           | 4.91                   |
| 3         | Assam                     | 33.89           | 92.06                  | 20.49           | 9.21                   | 31.98           | 101.27                 |
| 4         | Bihar                     | 34.06           | 320.40                 | 31.23           | 37.75                  | 33.74           | 358.15                 |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh              | 44.61           | 88.90                  | 24.75           | 15.22                  | 39.93           | 104.11                 |
| 6         | Delhi                     | 12.92           | 0.50                   | 9.84            | 16.46                  | 9.91            | 16.96                  |
| 7         | Goa                       | 6.81            | 0.37                   | 4.09            | 0.38                   | 5.09            | 0.75                   |
| 8         | Gujarat                   | 21.54           | 75.35                  | 10.14           | 26.88                  | 16.63           | 102.23                 |
| 9         | Haryana                   | 11.64           | 19.42                  | 10.28           | 9.41                   | 11.16           | 28.83                  |
| 10        | Himachal Pradesh          | 8.48            | 5.29                   | 4.33            | 0.30                   | 8.06            | 5.59                   |
| 11        | Jammu &Kashmir            | 11.54           | 10.73                  | 7.20            | 2.53                   | 10.35           | 13.27                  |
| 12        | Jharkhand                 | 40.84           | 104.09                 | 24.83           | 20.24                  | 36.96           | 124.33                 |
| 13        | Karnataka                 | 24.53           | 92.80                  | 15.25           | 36.96                  | 20.91           | 129.76                 |
| 14        | Kerala                    | 9.14            | 15.48                  | 4.97            | 8.46                   | 7.05            | 23.95                  |
| 15        | Madhya Pradesh            | 35.74           | 190.95                 | 21.00           | 43.10                  | 31.65           | 234.06                 |
| 16        | Maharashtra               | 24.22           | 150.56                 | 9.12            | 47.36                  | 17.35           | 197.92                 |
| 17        | Manipur                   | 38.80           | 7.45                   | 32.59           | 2.78                   | 36.89           | 10.22                  |
| 18        | Meghalaya                 | 12.53           | 3.04                   | 9.26            | 0.57                   | 11.87           | 3.61                   |
| 19        | Mizoram                   | 35.43           | 1.91                   | 6.36            | 0.37                   | 20.40           | 2.27                   |
| 20        | Nagaland                  | 19.93           | 2.76                   | 16.48           | 1.00                   | 18.88           | 3.76                   |
| 21        | Odisha                    | 35.69           | 126.14                 | 17.29           | 12.39                  | 32.59           | 138.53                 |
| 22        | Punjab                    | 7.66            | 13.35                  | 9.24            | 9.82                   | 8.26            | 23.18                  |
| 23        | Rajasthan                 | 16.05           | 84.19                  | 10.69           | 18.73                  | 14.71           | 102.92                 |
| 24        | Sikkim                    | 9.85            | 0.45                   | 3.66            | 0.06                   | 8.19            | 0.51                   |
| 25        | Tamil Nadu                | 15.83           | 59.23                  | 6.54            | 23.40                  | 11.28           | 82.63                  |
| 26        | Tripura                   | 16.53           | 4.49                   | 7.42            | 0.75                   | 14.05           | 5.24                   |
| 27        | Uttarakhand               | 11.62           | 8.25                   | 10.48           | 3.35                   | 11.26           | 11.60                  |
| 28        | Uttar Pradesh             | 30.40           | 479.35                 | 26.06           | 118.84                 | 29.43           | 598.19                 |
| 29        | West Bengal               | 22.52           | 141.14                 | 14.66           | 43.83                  | 19.98           | 184.98                 |
| 30        | Puducherry                | 17.06           | 0.69                   | 6.30            | 0.55                   | 9.69            | 1.24                   |
| 31        | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 1.57            | 0.04                   | 0.00            | 0.00                   | 1.00            | 0.04                   |
| 32        | Chandigarh                | 1.64            | 0.004                  | 22.31           | 2.34                   | 21.81           | 2.35                   |
| 33        | Dadra &Nagar Haveli       | 62.59           | 1.15                   | 15.38           | 0.28                   | 39.31           | 1.43                   |
| 34        | Daman &Diu                | 0.00            | 0.00                   | 12.62           | 0.26                   | 9.86            | 0.26                   |
| 35        | Lakshadweep               | 0.00            | 0.00                   | 3.44            | 0.02                   | 2.77            | 0.02                   |
|           | All India                 | 25.70           | 2166.58                | 13.70           | 531.25                 | 21.92           | 2697.83                |

- Notes:  1. Population as on 1st March 2012 has been used for estimating number of persons below poverty line. (2011 Census population extrapolated)
2. Poverty line of Tamil Nadu has been used for Andaman and Nicobar Island.
3. Urban Poverty Line of Punjab has been used for both rural and urban areas of Chandigarh.
4. Poverty Line of Maharashtra has been used for Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
5. Poverty line of Goa has been used for Daman & Diu.
6. Poverty Line of Kerala has been used for Lakshadweep.

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