Important committees for poverty calculation in India
| Committee | Year | Chairperson | Key Contributions and Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planning Commission | 1962 | N/A | First systematic effort to estimate poverty using National Sample Survey data. |
| Alagh Committee | 1979 | Y.K. Alagh | Defined poverty line based on minimum calorie intake and basic needs. |
| Lakdawala Committee | 1993 | D.T. Lakdawala | Recommended poverty lines based on consumer price indices and calorie intake. |
| Tendulkar Committee | 2009 | Suresh Tendulkar | Shifted focus to consumption expenditure, updated poverty lines considering health and education. |
| Rangarajan Committee | 2012 | C. Rangarajan | Revised methodology for poverty measurement, set higher poverty thresholds, and considered broader dimensions of poverty. |
Recommendations of Rangarajan Committee Report
The Rangarajan Committee, constituted in 2012, provided revised methodologies for measuring poverty.
Key recommendations included:
- Setting Higher Thresholds for Poverty Lines: The committee suggested higher monthly expenditure thresholds of INR 972 in rural areas and INR 1407 in urban areas to reflect better the reality of contemporary costs of basic needs.
- Wider Definition of Poverty: It proposed measures that encompass dimensions beyond mere calorie intake, incorporating factors like spending on health and education.
