Below Poverty Line is a benchmark used by the government of India to indicate economic disadvantage and to identify individuals and households in need of government assistance and aid. It is determined using various parameters which vary from state to state and within states. The present criteria are based on a survey conducted in 2002. Going into a survey due for a decade, India's central government is undecided on criteria to identify families below poverty line.[1]
Internationally, an income of less than ₹150 per day per head of purchasing power parity is defined as extreme poverty. By this estimate, about 12.4% of Indians are extremely poor as of year 2012. Income-based poverty lines consider the bare minimum income to provide basic food requirements; it does not account for other essentials such as health care and education.[2]
As there is no update of population estimate by the government since 2011, the data on poor people in India is not available. Estimates vary from 34 million to 373 million.[3]
- ^ Moyna (April 2011). "BPL's dividing line". Down to the earth: Science and entertainment online. cse webnet.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ Poverty and Equity – India The World Bank (2012)
- ^ Iqbal, Nushaiba (5 May 2023). "How many people live below the poverty line in India? It could be 34 million or 373 million". Scroll.in. IndiaSpend.com. Retrieved 6 May 2023.