Standard of living in India

{{Main|Poverty in India}}

24.3% of the population earned less than US$1 (PPP, around US$0.25 in nominal terms) a day in 2005, down from 42.1% in 1981.{{cite web|url=http://econ.worldbank.org/external/default/main?pagePK=64165259&piPK=64165421&theSitePK=469372&menuPK=64166093&entityID=000158349_20080826113239|title=The developing world is poorer than we thought, but no less successful in the fight against poverty|publisher=World Bank|year=2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090323214139/http://econ.worldbank.org/external/default/main?pagePK=64165259&piPK=64165421&theSitePK=469372&menuPK=64166093&entityID=000158349_20080826113239|archive-date=23 March 2009}}{{cite news|url=http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=332669|title=India has fewer poor people: World Bank|newspaper=Business Standard}} 41.6% of its population (540 million people approx.) is living below the new international poverty line of $1.25 (PPP) per day, down from 59.8% in 1981. India, in 2019 has about 2.7% population under poverty level and is no longer holding the largest population under poverty level, considering Nigeria and Congo.

On the other hand, the Planning Commission of India uses its own criteria and has estimated that 27.5% of the population was living below the poverty line in 2004–2005, down from 51.3% in 1977–1978, and 36% in 1993–1994.[http://www.planningcommission.gov.in/news/prmar07.pdf Poverty estimates for 2004–05], Planning commission, Government of India, March 2007. Accessed: 25 August 2007 The source for this was the 61st round of the National Sample Survey (NSS) and the criterion used was monthly per capita consumption expenditure below {{INR}} 356.35 for rural areas and {{INR}} 538.60 for urban areas. 75% of the poor are in rural areas, most of them are daily wagers, self-employed householders and landless labourers.

Although The Indian economy has grown steadily over the last two decades, its growth has been uneven when comparing different social groups, economic groups, geographic regions, and rural and urban areas.{{cite web |url=http://siteresources.worldbank.org/SOUTHASIAEXT/Resources/DPR_FullReport.pdf |title=Inclusive Growth and Service delivery: Building on India's Success |publisher=World Bank|year=2006 |access-date=28 April 2007}} For the year 2015–16, the GSDP growth rates of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh was higher than Maharashtra, Odisha or Punjab.{{cite news|title=AP stands 1st in India in GSDP growth rate |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/AP-stands-1st-in-India-in-GSDP-growth-rate/articleshow/52709609.cms |newspaper =The Times of India |access-date =13 April 2017}}

Since the early 1950s, successive governments have implemented various schemes, under planning, to alleviate poverty, that have met with partial success. Programmes like Food for work and National Rural Employment Programme have attempted to use the unemployed to generate productive assets and build rural infrastructure.{{cite web|title=Economic Survey 2004–2005|url=http://indiabudget.nic.in/es2004-05/esmain.htm| access-date = 15 July 2006}} In August 2005, the Indian parliament passed the Rural Employment Guarantee Bill, the largest programme of this type, in terms of cost and coverage, which promises 100 days of minimum wage employment to every rural household in 200 of India's 600 districts. The Indian government is planning to bring in more economic reforms which can help farmers and unskilled labourers transition into industrialised sectors.

{{see also|List of Indian states by life expectancy at birth}}

{{Main|Transport in India|Water supply and sanitation in India}}

Image:DelhiMetro.jpg, operational since 2002 and seen as a model for other metros.]]

Since independence, India has allocated nearly half of the total outlay of the five-year plans for infrastructural development. Much of the total outlay was spent on large projects in the area of irrigation, energy, transport, communications and social overheads. Development of infrastructure was completely in the hands of the public sector and was plagued by corruption, bureaucratic inefficiencies, urban-bias and an inability to scale investment.{{cite book | author=Sankaran, S | title=Indian Economy: Problems, Policies and Development | publisher=Margham Publications | year=1994 }}

Kolkata was the first city in India to boast of a metro-system. The government has partially opened up infrastructure to the private sector allowing foreign investment. India holds second position in the world in roadways' construction.

As of 2018, there were an estimated 18,170,000 broadband lines in India. The country boasts the second highest number of internet users at 446.75 million which translates to around 35% of the country's population. {{Cite web|title=India - The World Factbook|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/india/|access-date=2021-05-11|website=www.cia.gov}}

A study by WaterAid estimated as many as 157 million Indians live without adequate sanitation. India comes top for having the greatest number of urbanites living without sanitation.{{cite web | title=Overflowing Cities: 157 Million Indians Still Without Toilets| date=27 November 2016| url=https://international.thenewslens.com/article/55250| access-date=27 November 2016}}

{{Main|Administrative divisions of India}}

One of the critical problems facing India's economy is the sharp and growing regional variations among India's different states and territories in terms of per capita income, poverty, availability of infrastructure and socio-economic development. For instance, the difference in growth rate between the forward and backward states was 0.3% (5.2% & 4.9%) during 1980–81 to 1990–91, but had grown to 3.3% (6.3% & 3.0%) during 1990–91 to 1997–98.{{cite book |author1=Datt, Ruddar |author2=Sundharam, K.P.M. |name-list-style=amp | title=Indian Economy | pages = 471–472 | chapter = 27}}

The five-year plans have attempted to reduce regional disparities by encouraging industrial development in the interior regions, but industries still tend to concentrate around urban areas and port cities. Even the industrial townships in the interiors, Bhilai for instance, resulted in very little development in the surrounding areas.{{cite book | author=Bharadwaj, Krishna | year=1991 | chapter = Regional differentiation in India | editor=Sathyamurthy, T.V. | title = Industry & agriculture in India since independence | pages=189–199 | publisher=Oxford University Press | isbn=0-19-564394-1}} After liberalisation, the disparities have grown despite the efforts of the union government in reducing them. Part of the reason being that manufacturing and services and not agriculture are the engines of growth. The more advanced states are better placed to benefit from them, with infrastructure like well developed ports, urbanisation and an educated and skilled workforce which attract manufacturing and service sectors. The union and state governments of backward regions are trying to reduce the disparities by offering tax holidays, cheap land, etc., and focusing more on sectors like tourism, which although being geographically and historically determined, can become a source of growth and is faster to develop than other sectors.{{cite journal |author1=Sachs, D. Jeffrey |author2=Bajpai, Nirupam |author3=Ramaiah, Ananthi |name-list-style=amp |title=Understanding Regional Economic Growth in India |year=2002 |version=Working paper 88 |url=http://www2.cid.harvard.edu/cidwp/088.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701042205/http://www2.cid.harvard.edu/cidwp/088.pdf |archive-date=1 July 2007}}{{cite web | author=Kurian, N.J. | title=Regional disparities in india | url=http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/sereport/ser/vision2025/regdsprty.doc | access-date=6 August 2005 }}

{{See also|List of Indian states and union territories by GDP}}

• Economy of India

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Category:Economy of India

Category:Poverty in India

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