New Delhi: Three out of ten Muslims in
the country are below poverty line living on less than Rs 550
a month, says a survey.
"The Adivasis are the most vulnerable group with nearly
50 per cent below the poverty line...(followed by) the Dalits
and Muslims with poverty rates of 32 per cent and 31 per
cent," said the Indian Human Development survey conducted by
the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) and
University of Maryland of the US.
Over one-fourth of India lives below poverty line,
the survey said and pointed out they live on a monthly income
of less than Rs 356 per month in rural areas and Rs 538 in
urban areas.
"About 25.7 pc of the population lives below the poverty
line", said the survey which is based on feedback of 41,000
households. The survey estimates fall in between, with rural
poverty at 26.5 per cent and urban poverty at 23.7 per cent.
The incidence of poverty is highest in Chhattisgarh at
63.3 per cent, followed by Jharkhand (49 per cent), Madhya
Pradesh (45.5 per cent) and Orissa (41.3 per cent).
On the other hand, only 3.4 per cent population in
Jammu & Kashmir lives below poverty line, followed by 4.3 per
cent in Himachal Pradesh and 4.9 per cent in Punjab.
-PTI
First Published: Friday, March 26, 2010, 23:12