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

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.