The Planning Commission has periodically estimated poverty lines and poverty ratios for each of the years for which Large Sample Surveys on Household Consumer Expenditure have been conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. These surveys are normally conducted on quinquennial basis. The last quinquennial survey in this series was conducted in 2009-10 (NSS 66th round). However, since 2009-10 was not a normal year because of a severe drought, the NSSO repeated the large scale survey in 2011-12 (NSS 68th round). The summary results of this survey were released on 20th June 2013.
Estimates for 2004-05 and 2009-10
2. The methodology for estimation of poverty followed by the Planning Commission has been based on the recommendations made by experts in the field from time to time. In December, 2005, Planning Commission constituted an Expert Group under the Chairmanship of Prof. Suresh D. Tendulkar to review the methodology for estimation of poverty. The Tendulkar Committee submitted its report in December 2009 and computed poverty lines and poverty ratios for 2004-05. For comparison they also computed poverty lines and poverty ratios for 1993-94 with identical methodology. These were accepted by the Planning Commission.
3. The next Large Sample Survey of Household Consumer Expenditure was conducted in 2009-10. Following the TendulkarCommittee methodology, Planning Commission made estimates of poverty for 2009-10 which were released through a Press Note on 19th March 2012.1 Since several representations were made suggesting that the Tendulkar Poverty Line was too low, the Planning Commission, in June 2012, constituted an Expert Group under the Chairmanship of Dr. C. Rangarajan to once again review the methodology for the measurement of poverty.
1 Tendulkar methodology uses implicit prices derived from quantity and value data collected in household consumer expenditure surveys for computing and updating the poverty lines.
4. The Rangarajan Committee is deliberating on this issue and is expected to submit its report by middle of 2014. Since the data from the NSS 68th round (2011-12) of Household Consumer Expenditure Survey is now available, and the Rangarajan Committee recommendation will only be available a year later, the Planning Commission has updated the poverty estimates for the year 2011-12 as per the methodology recommended by Tendulkar Committee.
Estimates for 2011-12
5. The estimates of state wise poverty lines for rural and urban areas for 2011-12 are given in Table 1. The percentage and number of persons below poverty line for all States/UTs for rural areas, urban areas and combined are given in Table-2. The all India poverty ratio is obtained as state-population weighted average poverty ratio, and the all India poverty line is the per capita per month expenditure that corresponds to the all India poverty ratio.
6. The NSSO tabulates expenditure of about 1.20 lakh households. Since these households have different number of members, the NSSO for purpose of comparison divides the household expenditure by the number of members to arrive at per capita consumption expenditure per month. This is called Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) and is computed on the basis of three different concepts: Uniform Reference Period (URP), Mixed Reference Period (MRP), and Modified Mixed Reference Period (MMRP). As per Tendulkar Methodology, the poverty line has been expressed in terms of MPCE based on Mixed Reference Period. State-wise estimates of Average Monthly Per Capita Expenditure for rural and urban areas separately for the year 2011-12 are given in Table-3.
7. For 2011-12, for rural areas the national poverty line using the Tendulkar methodology is estimated at Rs. 816 per capita per month and Rs. 1,000 per capita per month in urban areas. Thus, for a family of five, the all India poverty line in terms of consumption expenditure would amount to about Rs. 4,080 per month in rural areas and Rs. 5,000 per month in urban areas. These poverty lines would vary from State to State because of inter-state price differentials.
8. The national level poverty ratio based on comparable methodology (Tendulkar Method) for 1993-94, 2004-05 and 2011-12 estimated from Large Sample Survey of Household Consumer Expenditure data of 50th, 61st and 68th round respectively are given below.
The Planning Commission has periodically estimated poverty lines and poverty ratios for each of the years for which Large Sample Surveys on Household Consumer Expenditure have been conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. These surveys are normally conducted on quinquennial basis. The last quinquennial survey in this series was conducted in 2009-10 (NSS 66th round). However, since 2009-10 was not a normal year because of a severe drought, the NSSO repeated the large scale survey in 2011-12 (NSS 68th round). The summary results of this survey were released on 20th June 2013.
9. The percentage of persons below the Poverty Line in 2011-12 has been estimated as 25.7% in rural areas, 13.7% in urban areas and 21.9% for the country as a whole. The respective ratios for the rural and urban areas were 41.8% and 25.7% and 37.2% for the country as a whole in 2004-05. It was 50.1% in rural areas, 31.8% in urban areas and 45.3% for the country as a whole in 1993-94. In 2011-12, India had 270 million persons below the Tendulkar Poverty Line as compared to 407 million in 2004-05, that is a reduction of 137 million persons over the seven year period.
10. During the 11-year period 1993-94 to 2004-05, the average decline in the poverty ratio was 0.74 percentage points per year. It accelerated to 2.18 percentage points per year during the 7-year period 2004-05 to 2011-12. Therefore, it can be concluded that the rate of decline in the poverty ratio during the most recent 7-year period 2004-05 to 2011-12 was about three times of that experienced in the 11-year period 1993-94 to 2004-05.
11. It is important to note that although the trend decline documented above is based on the Tendulkar poverty line which is being reviewed and may be revised by the Rangarajan Committee, an increase in the poverty line will not alter the fact of a decline. While the absolute levels of poverty would be higher, the rate of decline would be similar. To illustrate the point, details about the magnitude of decline in poverty ratio at various levels above and below the Tendulkar Poverty Line are presented in Chart-1.
12. The decline in poverty flows from the increase in real per capita consumption. The per annum increase in real MPCE for each of the ten deciles is presented at Chart-2. The clear inference is that: (a) the real MPCE increased by much more in the second period (2004-05 to 2011-12) as compared to the first (1993-94 to 2004-05), (b) that the increase was fairly well distributed across all deciles of the population, and (c) the distribution was particularly equitable in rural areas.
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