New Delhi, December 10: Every third Indian is living in poverty, according to the estimate of a government-appointed committee which said the number of the poor has shot up by nearly 10 per cent to over 37 per cent.
The expert group, headed by former chairman of PM’s Economic Advisory Council Suresh Tendulkar, in its report on poverty said 41.8 per cent of the rural population spend a meagre amount Rs 447 a month on essential necessities like food, fuel, light, clothing and footwear.
The situation is slightly better in urban areas, with 25.7 per cent being poor and they spend Rs 578.8 a month.
India’s population is over one billion.
Among the states, Orissa and Bihar are the worst while Nagaland, Delhi and J&K have the least number of the poor.
However, according to the World Bank’s estimates, 41.6 per cent Indians live on less than USD 1.
–Agencies