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Poverty Trends and Measures

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Abstract

It is undeniable that there has been a reduction in the proportion of India’s population in poverty over the last five decades during which it has been measured and tracked in the country. However, the high incidence of poverty, the large number of those who are poor, combined with the multiple deprivations that the poor experience, makes this the most important development challenge that faces us.

With necessary permissions, this chapter draws on Chap. 2 of the India Chronic Poverty Report (2011); Mehta and Bhide (2010); Mehta (2013); and Mehta (2017).

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The National Sample Surveys began in the 1950s with the launching of the first nationwide survey of household expenditures in 1950.

  2. 2.

    Himanshu (2010); Mehta and Shah (2001, 2003); Popli et al. (2005); Ray and Lancaster (2005).

  3. 3.

    Duggal (2009); Mehta (2007, 2009); Mehta and Gupta (2005).

  4. 4.

    This section draws on Chap. 1 of Mehta and Shepherd (2006) and Mehta (2003).

  5. 5.

    See http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/southern-comfort-indias-global-poverty-rank-improves/article23866587.ece.

  6. 6.

    See http://secc.gov.in/reportlistContent. Accessed 17 May 2018.

  7. 7.

    See Planning Commission (2012). Available at: http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/genrep/rep_hasim1701.pdf.

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Mehta, A.K., Bhide, S. (2018). Poverty Trends and Measures. In: Mehta, A., Bhide, S., Kumar, A., Shah, A. (eds) Poverty, Chronic Poverty and Poverty Dynamics. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0677-8_2

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