Quick study on poverty assessment

There is a raging controversy in India about how to measure poverty. Planning commission defined cut off consumption level has been questioned by the highest Judiciary  as well as by well known social activists as too low and exclusive of many poor households.  

In these pages we present some evidences on the extent of poverty in an Indian backward village.  The methodology followed was household survey, covering 50 households out of a total of 80 households in the village of Sankar bherry.This village is at a distance of  5 K.M., South of Raidighi, gateway to the Sunderban Islands in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

The study was conducted during 10-28 October 2011

Major findings are summarised in the following links:

1) Assessment of poverty by respondents and co -respondents and by housing conditions

2) Livelihood types

2) Social protection coverage of households under food security,employment, mid day meals, anganwadi and pensions schemes