(a) the number of millionaires in the country;
(b) the percentage increase / decrease in them during the last five years;
(c) the number of people in the country with daily earning less than one US dollar per day;
(d) the percentage of increase or decrease during the last five years;
(e) whether the gap between the rich and poor has widened as indicated by certain surveys conducted by NGOs in the country; and
(f) if so, the details thereof and the action taken in this regard?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING (SHRI M.V. RAJASEKHARAN)
(a) and (b) : As per the data available with the Income Tax Department, the
number of income tax assessees (individuals) with income of Rs.10 lakh and
above was 91,877 in 2004-05 as against 54,805 in 2000-01, representing an
increase of 67.6%.
(c) and (d): According to the World Development Indicators, 2006 brought out by
the World Bank, the proportion of population living in India on less than US
dollar one a day was 34.7% in 1999-2000 as against 47.0% in 1994 as per
earlier reports. However, as pointed out in the World Development Indicators
2006, poverty rates for the individual country given in World Development
Indicators 2006 cannot be compared with earlier years.
(e) and (f): Planning Commission is not aware of any rigorous surveys or studies
conducted by NGOs that point out that the gap between the rich and the poor
has widened.