New Delhi: The 2011-12 poverty line report of India is said to be unrealistic. As per this, about one in three Indians was poor. Regarding this report, there were widespread criticism and protest during that time-frame. It was said that the government had wholly underestimated the number of poor in the country by choosing an unrealistic poverty line for such estimates.

The panel, headed by former RBI governor C Rangarajan has estimated that 363 million people (or 29.5%) among India’s 1.2 billion population were said to be within the poverty line in 2011-12. The number is significantly higher than the official estimate of 269 million while the difference 94 million is attributed primarily to a change for the definition of the poverty line. C. Rangarajan was also the chairman of the Prime Minister’s economic advisory council in the UPA government.

According to the Rangarajan panel, people living on less than Rs. 32 a day in rural areas and Rs. 47 a day in urban areas are considered as as poor. But, as per the official estimate based on recommendations made by late economist Suresh Tendulkar, people living on less than Rs. 27 a day in rural areas and Rs. 33 a day in urban areas are poor.

The new estimates on poverty has already been submitted to the NDA government. But it is not sure whether these information would be adopted as new official estimates on poverty.

Video on India’s poverty line