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This article was first published 10 years ago

15 Indian states with highest poverty rates

Last updated on: June 30, 2014 16:18 IST


Photographs: Tinesh Bhasin/Rediff.com

One third of the world’s poor live in India.

The number of poor in India is now estimated at 148 million in 2014 as compared to 396 million in 2004-05.

According to the Planning Commission, in 2011-12 for rural areas, the national poverty line is estimated at Rs 816 per capita per month in villages and Rs 1,000 per capita per month in cities. 

This would mean that the persons whose consumption of goods and services exceed Rs 33.33 in cities and Rs 27.20 per capita per day in villages are not poor.

The Reserve Bank of India has listed Indian states with highest poverty rates.

Take a look at India’s states with highest poverty rates…

 

15 Indian states with highest poverty rates


Photographs: Reuters

Chhattisgarh

Percentage of people below poverty line: 39.93 

One of the fastest developing states in India, Chhattisgarh contributes 15 per cent of the total steel produced in India. 

Chhattisgarh became a state in 2000 after its separation from Madhya Pradesh. 

15 Indian states with highest poverty rates

Image: Locals prepare to collect coal from an open cast coal field at Dhanbad district in Jharkhand.
Photographs: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

Jharkhand

Percentage of people below poverty line: 36.96

Jharkhand was a part of Bihar till 2000. 

Jharkhand, which means ‘The land of forests’accounts for 40 per cent of India’s mineral resources.

 

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15 Indian states with highest poverty rates


Photographs: Reuters

Manipur

Percentage of people below poverty line: 36.89

Manipur was formed in 1972. Agriculture, forestry, cottage industries contribute to its economy.

 

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15 Indian states with highest poverty rates

Image: Villagers move from a flood-hit village in Arunachal Pradesh.
Photographs: Reuters

Arunachal Pradesh

Percentage of people below poverty line: 34.67 

Arunachal Pradesh, the largest among the northeastern states was formed in 1987.

Agriculture primarily drives the economy. 

15 Indian states with highest poverty rates

Image: Schoolchildren eat their free midday meal, distributed by a government-run primary school, at Brahimpur village in Bihar.
Photographs: Reuters

Bihar

Percentage of people below poverty line: 33.74

Established in 1936, Bihar has now become one of the fastest growing states.

It is also the largest producer of vegetables. 

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15 Indian states with highest poverty rates

Image: Tribal women walk to collect water near the mining site of Vedanta Alumina refinery in Orissa.
Photographs: Parth Sanyal/Reuters

Odisha

Percentage of people below poverty line: 32.59

Established in 1936, Odisha is the 9th largest state by area in India.

The state is rich in natural resources and a hotspot for overseas investors. The country biggest FDI project, Posco’s steel plant will come up in Odisha.

15 Indian states with highest poverty rates


Photographs: Reuters

Assam

Percentage of people below poverty line: 31.98

Agriculture and oil sectors drive the state's  economy. 

Assam is one of biggest producers of tea in the world. 

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15 Indian states with highest poverty rates

Image: Villagers walk towards the Mahan forest during a protest against a coal mining project in Singrauli district in Madhya Pradesh.
Photographs: Reuters

Madhya Pradesh

Percentage of people below poverty line: 31.65

Madhya Pradesh is the second largest state in the country by area.

The state has the largest reserves of diamond and copper in India.

15 Indian states with highest poverty rates

Image: Women cook food outside a makeshift tent on a cold morning at Parthla village in Uttar Pradesh.
Photographs: Parivartan Sharma/Reuters

Uttar Pradesh

Percentage of people below poverty line: 29.43

Established on 1 April 1937, as the United Provinces, the state was renamed Uttar Pradesh in 1950.

Uttar Pradesh is the fourth largest Indian state by economy.

15 Indian states with highest poverty rates

Image: A worker levels the iron ore in a freight train at a railway station at Chitradurga in Karnataka.
Photographs: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

Karnataka

Percentage of people below poverty line: 20.91 

Karnataka is the manufacturing hub for some of the largest public sector industries in India.

It is also a hotspot for IT and biotechnology companies. 

15 Indian states with highest poverty rates


Photographs: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

Mizoram 

Percentage of people below poverty line: 20.40 

One of India’s smallest states, Mizoram has an agrarian economy. 

15 Indian states with highest poverty rates


Photographs: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

West Bengal 

Percentage of people below poverty line: 19.98 

India’s fourth-most populous state, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP. 

15 Indian states with highest poverty rates


Photographs: Reuters

Nagaland

Percentage of people below poverty line: 18.88 

Nagaland became the 16th Indian state in December 1963. The state is rich in mineral resources. 

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15 Indian states with highest poverty rates


Photographs: Reuters

Maharashtra

Percentage of people below poverty line: 17.35 

Maharashtra is one of the wealthiest and most developed states in India. 

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15 Indian states with highest poverty rates

Image: A villager migrates with his sheep at Kuraga village in Gujarat.
Photographs: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

Gujarat

Percentage of people below poverty line: 16.63

Gujarat has one of the major industrial hubs in India. 

With double-digit growth rates, Gujarat is ahead of other states.

Tags: India