Poverty And Poverty Line In India: Revisiting The Methodology

Abstract

The many characteristics of poor such as hunger, inadequate health care, illiteracy, uncleaned sanitation and unprotected drinking water tend to impair a person’s nutritional status. The impaired nutritional status affects a person’s productivity and earning capacity which leads to again into the poverty trap. Understanding these facts, poverty eradication has been one of main objectives in every five year plan. The Planning Commission claiming that the incidence of poverty in India has declined due to sustained economic growth. At the same time, there are literatures explaining the prevalence of undernutrition, hunger, unemployment and increasing trend of poverty in many forms. In this condition, it is important to analyse the methods of identifying poor in the society so that the scarce means can be effectively distributed to the large number of poor people and enable them to escape from the poverty.