Question : SURVEY ON POVERTY

(a) whether according to the recent National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO)survey the rate of reduction in urban poverty was far lower than that of rural poverty;

(b) if so, the comparative details thereof during the last three years and the current year alongwith the reasons therefor;and

(c) the steps taken or proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?

Answer given by the minister

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS(SHRI V. NARAYANASAMY)

(a) & (b) : The Planning Commission estimates the percentage and number of persons living below the poverty line at national and state level, separately in rural and urban areas from the large sample survey on household consumer expenditure conducted by the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) at an interval of approximately five years following the methodology contained in the Report of the Expert Group of Estimation of Proportion and Number of Poor.The latest estimate of the percentage and number of persons living below the poverty line is available for the year 2004-05 based on the large sample survey of consumer expenditure data of the 61st Round of NSS.As such,the poverty estimates in rural and urban areas for the last three years and the current year are not available.The two latest comparable estimates of poverty in rural and urban areas,available for the year 1993-94 (estimated from NSS 50th Round Consumer expenditure data) and 2004-05 (estimated from NSS 61st Round Consumer expenditure data) are given below.


Percentage of Poor	(as Estimated by the Planning Commission)

Year	Rural	Urban

1993-94	37.3	32.4

2004-05	28.3	25.7

During the period 1993-94 to 2004-05,the poverty ratio reduced on an average by 0.8% point per year in the rural areas and 0.6% point per year in the urban areas.Higher population growth in the urban areas, caused largely by the migration of poorer persons from rural to urban areas,may be identified as the likely reasons behind slower decline in the rate of reduction of urban poverty as compared to rural.

(c) : The Eleventh Five Year Plan has set the growth target for the economy at 9% per year for the Plan period (2007-12) and aims at putting the economy on a sustainable growth trajectory with a growth of approximately 10% by the end of its period. The central vision of the Eleventh Plan is to trigger a development process,which ensures broad based improvement in the quality of life of the people,especially the poor,the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes,minorities,etc.The Government is implementing a number of anti-poverty programmes,such as wage employment and asset generation programmes to raise the income of poor,in addition to the income generated from the general growth process.In alleviating poverty and improving the standard of living of the poor,the Swaran Jayanti Shahri Rozgar Yojana is being implemented in the urban areas.The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) aims at ensuring basic services for the urban poor.The Eleventh Plan has the following objectives for urban poverty alleviation :

(i) to provide affordable shelter and decent living and working conditions,
(ii) to help in developing self-employment enterprises and job creation for the wage employment earners.

Question : SURVEY ON POVERTY

Answer given by the minister

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