Percentage of people below poverty line declines to 21.9

The percentage of people below poverty line declined sharply to 21.9 in the financial year 2011-12 from 37.2 recorded in 2004-15, official data showed Tuesday.

The decline was sharper in urban areas. In the financial year ended March 2012, percentage of people below poverty line in urban areas was 13.7 while in rural area it was 25.7, according to data released by the Planning Commission.

The respective ratios for the rural and urban areas were 41.8 percent and 25.7 percent in 2004-05.

It was 50.1 percent in rural areas, 31.8 percent in urban areas and 45.3 percent for the country as a whole in 1993-94.

In 2011-12, India had 270 million persons below the poverty line as compared to 407 million in 2004-05, that is a reduction of 137 million persons over the seven-year period.

"During the 11-year period 1993-94 to 2004-05, the average decline in the poverty ratio was 0.74 percentage points per year. It accelerated to 2.18 percentage points per year during the seven-year period 2004-05 to 2011-12," the planning commission said.

"Therefore, it can be concluded that the rate of decline in the poverty ratio during the most recent 7-year period 2004-05 to 2011-12 was about three times of that experienced in the 11-year period 1993-94 to 2004-05," it said.