According to the 66th round of National Sample Survey (NSS), around 60 per cent of India’s rural population lives on less than Rs 35 a day and nearly as many in cities live on Rs 66 a day. The poorest 10 per cent of the rural population lives on Rs 15 a day, while in urban areas the figure is shade better at Rs 20 per day. All-India average Monthly Per Capita Consumer Expenditure (MPCE) in rural areas is Rs 1.054 and urban area is Rs 1,984. The average MPCS in rural areas is lowest in Bihar (Rs 780), followed by Orissa and Jharkhand at Rs 820. Kerala has the highest rural MPCE at Rs 1,835, followed by Punjab (Rs 1,649) and Haryana (Rs 1,510). The highest urban MPCE is in Maharashtra (Rs 2,437), followed by Kerala (Rs 2,413) and Haryana (Rs 2,321). It is lowest in Bihar (Rs 1,238).
2012-06-20