Lok Sabha Question No. 3375 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-09
Subject: Criteria for Below Poverty Line
Ministry: PLANNING
Asked by: Aparupa  Poddar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PLANNING

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3375

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.08.2023

## CRITERIA FOR BELOW POVERTY LINE

## 3375. SHRIMATI APARUPA PODDAR:

Will the Minister of PLANNING be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has fixed any criteria and income slab of people living below poverty line as on 2023;
- (b) if so, the details thereof indicating the last updated report on India's poverty estimates after the 2011 census;
- (c) whether it is a fact that 21.9 per cent of the population in the country are still suffering from poverty as on 2023; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and the action taken or proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION; MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS

## (RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

- (a) to (d) The erstwhile Planning Commission estimated poverty line and poverty ratio on the basis of  Large  Sample  Surveys  carried  out  by  the  National  Sample  Survey  Office  (NSSO)  of  the Ministry  of  Statistics  and  Programme  Implementation.  The  erstwhile  Planning  Commission estimated poverty lines and poverty ratio in 2011-12 following the extant Tendulkar Committee methodology. The result was released through a Press Note issued on 22 nd July 2013. According to this Press Note, the number of persons living below poverty line in India has been estimated to

be 27 crore (21.92%) in  2011-12.  The  poverty  line  was  defined  on  the  basis  of  Monthly  Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) as the criterion. For the year 2011-12, the poverty line at all India level had been estimated as Monthly Per-capita Consumption Expenditure of Rs. 816 for rural areas and Rs. 1000 for urban areas.

NITI Aayog released the National Multidimensional Poverty Index: A Progress Review 2023 on 17 th July 2023 in partnership with UNDP. As per this report 13.5 crore people escaped "Multidimensional Poverty" between 2015-16 and 2019-21. A Steep decline has been reported in number of multidimensionally poor from 24.85% to 14.96% between 2015-16 and 2019-21.

The  Government  has  initiated  Central  sector  and  Centrally  Sponsored  Schemes,  for reducing poverty in the country. Some of the schemes aim to directly benefit the citizens through Direct Benefit transfer of resources/ money while others intend to create enabling infrastructural provisions.   These  include  Mahatma  Gandhi   National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Scheme (Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS),  Pradhan  Mantri   Awaas  Yojana  -  Gramin  (PMAY-G),  Pradhan Mantri  Gram  Sadak  Yojana  (PMGSY),   Deendayal  Antyodaya  Yojana  -  National  Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Deendayal Antyodaya YojanaNational Urban Livelihoods  Mission  (DAY-NULM),  Deen  Dayal  Upadhayay  -  Gramin  Kaushalya  Yojana (DDU-GKY), Rural Self Employment Training  Institutes (RSETIs), National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna (PMGKAY),  Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY),  etc.

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