Mean Consumption, Poverty and Inequality in Rural India in the Sixtieth Round of the National Sample Survey

Abstract

This paper reports on mean consumption, poverty (all three FGT measures) and inequality during January to June 2004 for rural India using National sample Survey (NSS) data for the 60th Round. Mean consumption at the national level is much higher than the poverty line. However, the Gini coefficient is higher than in recent earlier rounds. The headcount ratio using the thirty day recall is 22.9 per cent and with the seven day recall this stands at 17.9 per cent and, with the combined data, this figure is 20.6 per cent. Mean consumption, all three measures of poverty and the Gini coefficient are computed at the level of 20 states and 63 NSS regions in these 20 states. It is surmised that despite impressive growth rates deprivation is pervasive, pockets of severe poverty persist, and inequality is rampant.