What is Poverty in India?
'''[[Poverty]] in India''' is an issue that has been important in India however the population of those in poverty has started to decrease. The Government of India says that the [[poverty line]] for [[rural]] areas is '''₹ 816''' per month and '''₹ 1000''' per month in [[urban]] areas. This means that many people do not have enough [[money]]. India's proposed but not yet adopted official poverty line is ₹972 (US$14) a month in rural areas or ₹1,407 (US$21) a month in cities. In [[India]], the average [[calorie]] requirement of an average man is 2400 calories per day in [[Rural area]] and 2100 calories per day in [[Urban area]]. [[File:Disabled beggar.jpg|thumb|Beggar with a Zimmer Frame, [[Karnataka]], 2023]] In 2012, the latest report by the Planning Commission of India (Tendulkar Committee) reported that 26% of all people in India fall below the international poverty line of US$1.25 per day. Over the last decade, poverty has been witnessed a consistent decline with the levels dropping from 37.2% in 2004-05 to 29.8% in 2009-10. The number of poor people is now estimated at 250 million. == Analysis == [[Image:Mumbai-street-kids.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Street children in India selling snacks and drinks to bus passengers]] In 1947 the average income in India was similar to [[South Korea]]. South Korea became a developed country by the 2000s, but India did not. For the first 40 years, India followed the [[Soviet]]-style economic planning, nationalization programs and government ownership of industry. Its economic growth averaged about 3.5%, while Asian economies such as South Korea grew on average more than twice that rate annually.<ref>Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar [http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/dbp4.pdf Socialism kills - the human cost of delayed economic reform in India], Cato Institute (21 October 2009)</ref><ref>Ray S.C. 2002. Did India's economic reforms improve efficiency and productivity? ''Indian Economic Review'', '''37''', 1, pp. 23-57.</ref> Adjusted for population growth in