Sunday, August 18, 2002
Poverty levels come down sharply to 26 per cent
Press Trust of India New Delhi, August 18
Poverty levels in the country came down sharply to 26 per cent during 1999-2000 as against 55 per cent during 1973-74 as a result of the several employment generation and poverty alleviation programmes launched in the country. "The latest estimates provide clear evidence of a substantial decline in the overall poverty ratio in the country during the 1990s though not at the targetted pace of reaching a reduction to the extent of 16.5 per cent in 2001-02 projected during the ninth plan period," says a National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) study. The incidence of poverty expressed as a percentage of people below the poverty line declined from 55 per cent in 1973-74 to 39 per cent in 1987-88, 36 per cent in 1993-94 and 26 per cent in 1999-2000, it said quoting an expenditure survey. On the whole, the policies and programmes undertaken in recent years with a special focus on various components of the social sectors have yielded positive results, says the NSS. There has been an improvement in basic socio-demographic indicators, healthcare services, progress in the field of education and adult literacy levels, reduction in overall poverty levels and increased access to basic necessities of life.
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