Economic data pointer to rural India's appalling status: PMK

NDA ally PMK Chief Ramadoss today said socio-economic census revealed appalling living conditions of rural India and urged action to address "inequality and underdevelopment."
Stating that the socio economic census data released yesterday revealed "two Indias within the glittering image of India as a fast growing economy," he said the information "exposed the appalling living conditions of rural India."
He urged the government to take cognisance of the statistics and take action to address the "inhuman inequality and underdevelopment of rural India" with emphasis on health, education and agriculture.
The data revealed that 73 per cent of the 24.38 crore households of India lived in villages, out of which only 8.3 per cent families have one member earning more than Rs 10,000 per month.

Also, 74.50 per cent families have less than Rs 5,000 income per month. "Tamil Nadu is below this national average with 79 per cent of families living with less than Rs. 5000 monthly income."
"More than 60 per cent of those living in villages, that is 10.69 crore families are living below the poverty line and 23.52 per cent of rural families don't have even one single literate adult in the house."
He stressed that "statistics revealed the shocking backwardness of rural India in education and economy in the midst of the rapidly growing India."
In contrast, the World Bank has said that the GDP of India increased to Rs 120 lakh crores (2 trillion US dollars), he said.