The poverty ratio declined to ________ in 2011-12 in rural India.

The correct answer is 30.9%

Key Points

• According to the "Rangarajan Report on Poverty", the poverty ratio has declined from 39.6% in 2009-10 to 30.9% in 2011-12 in rural India and from 35.1% to 26.4% in urban India.
• The all-India ratio was 29.5%. In rural India, 260.5 million individuals were below poverty and in urban India 102.5 million were under poverty. Totally, 363 million were below poverty in 2011-12.

•  The Methodology recommended by the Expert Group (Rangarajan) for estimation of poverty is as follows:

  • The poverty line should be based on certain normative levels of adequate nourishment, clothing, house rent, conveyance and education, and a behaviorally determined level of other non-food expenses.

Additional Information

•  Poverty 
  • When a person lacks the means of support and necessities for a given level of living, they are said to be in a state or condition of poverty.
  • Several social, economic, and political factors can contribute to or be a result of poverty.
  • There are two major ways to assess poverty in statistics and economics: absolute poverty compares income to the amount required to cover basic requirements like food, clothes, and shelter; relative poverty assesses how well a person is doing in comparison to others in the same situation.