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English · हिन्दी · తెలుగు · தமிழ் · മലയാളം · मराठी · ಕನ್ನಡ

Quick recap: Poverty and unemployment on one page

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿವರಣೆ

Poverty and unemployment · Quick recap · Fact-checked on · how we check

Written with AI from the sources listed at the bottom of this page, then fact-checked by a separate AI.

All three parts of Poverty and unemployment condensed for quick revision: poverty measurement, consumption surveys and the poverty line committees from 1962 to Rangarajan, the World Bank line, MPI and Gini; labour force concepts, activity statuses, the PLFS and the types of unemployment; MGNREGA and the VB-G RAM G Act, the labour codes and employment schemes.

Each idea is explained first in Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ), ending with the English and Hindi exam terms, followed by the same point in exam English. UPSC Prelims is in English or Hindi, so understand it in Kannada and revise it in English.

ಬಡತನವನ್ನು ಖರ್ಚಿನಿಂದ ಅಳೆಯುತ್ತಾರೆ, ಆದಾಯದಿಂದ ಅಲ್ಲ — ರೈತನ ಆದಾಯ ಬೆಳೆಗೆ ತಕ್ಕಂತೆ ಬದಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ, ಆದರೆ ಮನೆಯ ಖರ್ಚು ಸ್ಥಿರ. ಕನಿಷ್ಠ ಖರ್ಚಿನ ಗೆರೆಯ ಕೆಳಗಿನವರು ಬಡವರು — ಇದೇ ಬಡತನ ರೇಖೆ. ಎಷ್ಟು ಜನ ಕೆಳಗಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಎಂಬುದನ್ನು ತಲೆಎಣಿಕೆ ಹೇಳುತ್ತದೆ, ಎಷ್ಟು ಆಳದಲ್ಲಿ ಎಂಬುದನ್ನು ಅಂತರ ಹೇಳುತ್ತದೆ. 30 ದಿನವೋ 365 ದಿನವೋ ಎಂದು ಕೇಳುವ ಅವಧಿಗೆ ತಕ್ಕಂತೆ ಲೆಕ್ಕ ಬದಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. 2017-18ರ ಸಮೀಕ್ಷೆ ಹೊರಬರಲಿಲ್ಲ; 2022-23, 2023-24ರ ಸಮೀಕ್ಷೆಗಳು ಖರ್ಚನ್ನು ಮಾತ್ರ ಹೇಳುತ್ತವೆ. (→ English: poverty line · हिन्दी: गरीबी रेखा)

In exam EnglishThe chapter asks how many Indians are poor and how many of those who want work can find it. India measures absolute poverty, against a poverty line of minimum spending per person, and uses consumption rather than income because spending is steadier and easier to report. The headcount ratio gives the share below the line, and the poverty gap its depth. Consumption comes from NSO surveys of monthly per capita consumption expenditure, whose results depend on the recall period: uniform (30 days), mixed (365 days for rarely bought items) or modified mixed (also 7 days for some foods). The 2017-18 survey was withheld, and the Household Consumption Expenditure Surveys of 2022-23 and 2023-24 report spending, not an official poverty ratio.

ಗೆರೆ ಎಳೆದವರ ಸಾಲು: 1962 ಕಾರ್ಯಪಡೆ, 1979 ಅಲಘ್ (ಹಳ್ಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ 2,400, ನಗರದಲ್ಲಿ 2,100 ಕ್ಯಾಲೊರಿ), 1993 ಲಕ್ಡಾವಾಲಾ (ರಾಜ್ಯಕ್ಕೊಂದು ಗೆರೆ), 2009 ತೆಂಡೂಲ್ಕರ್ (ಕ್ಯಾಲೊರಿ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಆರೋಗ್ಯ, ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ಸೇರಿಸಿತು; 2011-12ರಲ್ಲಿ 21.9 ಶೇಕಡಾ), 2014 ರಂಗರಾಜನ್ (29.5 ಶೇಕಡಾ, ಆದರೆ ಅಂಗೀಕಾರವಿಲ್ಲ). ಅಂದರೆ ಇಂದಿಗೂ ಅಧಿಕೃತ ಕೊನೆಯ ಲೆಕ್ಕ ತೆಂಡೂಲ್ಕರ್ ಅವರ 21.9 ಶೇಕಡಾವೇ. (→ English: Tendulkar Expert Group · Rangarajan Expert Group · हिन्दी: तेंदुलकर विशेषज्ञ समूह · रंगराजन विशेषज्ञ समूह)

In exam EnglishOfficial lines evolved through expert committees. The 1962 Working Group fixed a minimum consumption per person; the Alagh Task Force (1979) tied the line to 2,400 calories a day in rural and 2,100 in urban areas; the Lakdawala Expert Group (1993) kept these norms but drew state-specific lines, updated with CPI-AL in villages and CPI-IW in towns. The Tendulkar Expert Group (2009) dropped the calorie anchor, used one urban basket for both areas with health and education included, and gave 37.2 per cent for 2004-05 and 21.9 per cent for 2011-12. The Rangarajan Expert Group (2014) returned to separate rural and urban baskets and found 29.5 per cent for 2011-12, but was not formally adopted, so Tendulkar's 21.9 per cent remains the last official figure.

ಹಣ ಒಂದೇ ಅಲ್ಲ: ವಿಶ್ವಬ್ಯಾಂಕ್ ರೇಖೆ ದಿನಕ್ಕೆ 3 ಡಾಲರ್ (2025ರಿಂದ) — ಅದರ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿ ತೀವ್ರ ಬಡತನ 27.1ರಿಂದ 5.3 ಶೇಕಡಾಕ್ಕೆ. ಬಹುಆಯಾಮದ ಬಡತನ ಸೂಚ್ಯಂಕ ಆರೋಗ್ಯ, ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ, ಮನೆ-ವಿದ್ಯುತ್-ಶೌಚಾಲಯದಂತಹ ಕೊರತೆಗಳನ್ನು ಎಣಿಸುತ್ತದೆ — ಮೂರನೇ ಒಂದು ಭಾಗ ಕೊರತೆ ಇದ್ದರೆ ಬಡವ; ನೀತಿ ಆಯೋಗದ ಲೆಕ್ಕದಲ್ಲಿ 29.17ರಿಂದ 11.28 ಶೇಕಡಾಕ್ಕೆ. ಊರಲ್ಲಿ ಭೂಮಿ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಸಮನಾಗಿದ್ದರೆ ಗಿನಿ 0 — ಅಸಮಾನತೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿದಂತೆ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆ ಏರುತ್ತದೆ. (→ English: multidimensional poverty · Gini coefficient · हिन्दी: बहुआयामी गरीबी · गिनी गुणांक)

In exam EnglishOther lenses complete the picture. The World Bank's extreme poverty line has been $3.00 a day at 2021 PPP since June 2025, and on it India's extreme poverty fell from 27.1 per cent in 2011-12 to 5.3 per cent in 2022-23. The global Multidimensional Poverty Index of OPHI and UNDP counts multidimensional poverty across health, education and living standards through ten indicators, with a person poor if deprived in a third of them; NITI Aayog's national index uses twelve indicators from NFHS data and estimated a fall from 29.17 per cent in 2013-14 to 11.28 per cent in 2022-23. Inequality is read from the Lorenz curve and the Gini coefficient, where 0 is perfect equality; the World Bank put India's consumption Gini at 25.5 in 2022-23.

ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡುವವರು + ಕೆಲಸ ಹುಡುಕುವವರು = ಶ್ರಮಶಕ್ತಿ. ನಿರುದ್ಯೋಗ ದರ ಎಂದರೆ ಆ ಶ್ರಮಶಕ್ತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲಸ ಸಿಗದವರ ಪಾಲು — ಒಟ್ಟು ಜನಸಂಖ್ಯೆಯಲ್ಲಲ್ಲ. ವರ್ಷ ನೋಡಿದರೆ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಸ್ಥಿತಿ, ವಾರ ನೋಡಿದರೆ ವಾರದ ಸ್ಥಿತಿ, ಪ್ರತಿ ದಿನ ನೋಡಿದರೆ ದೈನಿಕ ಸ್ಥಿತಿ — ದೈನಿಕದಲ್ಲಿ ದರ ಹೆಚ್ಚು. 2025ರಿಂದ PLFS ಪ್ರತಿ ತಿಂಗಳು ಲೆಕ್ಕ ಕೊಡುತ್ತದೆ. 2017-18ರಿಂದ 2023-24ಕ್ಕೆ ನಿರುದ್ಯೋಗ ದರ 6.0ರಿಂದ 3.2 ಶೇಕಡಾಕ್ಕೆ, ಮಹಿಳೆಯರ ಭಾಗವಹಿಸುವಿಕೆ 23.3ರಿಂದ 41.7 ಶೇಕಡಾಕ್ಕೆ. (→ English: unemployment rate · usual status · हिन्दी: बेरोज़गारी दर · सामान्य स्थिति)

In exam EnglishPart 2 turned to work. The labour force is the employed plus the unemployed; the LFPR and WPR are shares of the population, while the unemployment rate is the unemployed as a share of the labour force. Usual status looks at 365 days (principal status by major time, subsidiary status for 30 days or more of work), current weekly status at 7 days with one hour of work enough, and current daily status at person-days, so it usually gives the highest rate. The PLFS, begun in 2017, was redesigned in January 2025 to give monthly and rural quarterly estimates. On usual status for persons aged 15 and above, the LFPR rose from 49.8 to 60.1 per cent between 2017-18 and 2023-24, the unemployment rate fell from 6.0 to 3.2 per cent, and female LFPR rose from 23.3 to 41.7 per cent.

ನಿರುದ್ಯೋಗದ ಬಗೆಗಳು: ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ಕೆಲಸವಿಲ್ಲ; ಪ್ರಚ್ಛನ್ನ (ಹೊಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಗತ್ಯಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಜನ); ಋತುಮಾನದ (ಕೊಯ್ಲು ಮತ್ತು ಬಿತ್ತನೆಯ ನಡುವೆ); ಕೆಲಸ ಬದಲಿಸುವ ಬಿಡುವು; ಕೌಶಲ ಹೊಂದದಿರುವುದು; ಹಿಂಜರಿತದಲ್ಲಿ; ಓದಿದವರಲ್ಲಿ. ಅನೇಕರು ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ಕೆಲಸವಿಲ್ಲದವರಲ್ಲ, ಕಡಿಮೆ ಕೆಲಸದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನವರು ಅಸಂಘಟಿತ ವಲಯದಲ್ಲಿ — ಒಪ್ಪಂದವಿಲ್ಲ, ಭದ್ರತೆ ಇಲ್ಲ; ಅವರಿಗಾಗಿ 2021ರ ಆಗಸ್ಟ್ 26ರಂದು ಇ-ಶ್ರಮ್ ಪೋರ್ಟಲ್. (→ English: disguised unemployment · unorganised sector · हिन्दी: प्रच्छन्न बेरोज़गारी · असंगठित क्षेत्र)

In exam EnglishUnemployment takes several forms: open; disguised, where extra hands on a crowded family farm add almost nothing to output; seasonal, between harvest and sowing; frictional, between jobs; structural, from a lasting mismatch of skills; cyclical, in a downturn; and educated unemployment among graduates. Underemployment is widespread, so the unemployment rate alone understates the problem. Most Indian workers are in the unorganised sector, without written contracts or social security. To reach them, the Ministry of Labour and Employment launched the e-Shram portal on 26 August 2021, which registers unorganised workers aged 16 to 59 and gives each a Universal Account Number linked to Aadhaar.

ಉದ್ಯೋಗ ಖಾತರಿ (2005): ಪ್ರತಿ ಗ್ರಾಮೀಣ ಕುಟುಂಬಕ್ಕೆ ವರ್ಷಕ್ಕೆ ಕನಿಷ್ಠ 100 ದಿನ ಕೆಲಸದ ಹಕ್ಕು — 15 ದಿನದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲಸ ಅಥವಾ ಭತ್ಯೆ, 5 ಕಿ.ಮೀ. ಒಳಗೆ, ಮೂರನೇ ಒಂದು ಭಾಗ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರು, ಗ್ರಾಮಸಭೆಯ ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ. 2026ರ ಜುಲೈ 1ರಿಂದ ಹೊಸ ಜಿ ರಾಮ್ ಜಿ ಕಾಯ್ದೆ: 125 ದಿನ, ಬೆಳೆ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ 60 ದಿನ ಬಿಡುವು, ಮೊದಲೇ ನಿಗದಿಯಾದ ಹಣ, 60:40 ಖರ್ಚು. 29 ಹಳೆಯ ಕಾಯ್ದೆಗಳು ನಾಲ್ಕು ಕಾರ್ಮಿಕ ಸಂಹಿತೆಗಳಾಗಿ (2025ರ ನವೆಂಬರ್ 21). ಉಳಿತಾಯ ಗುಂಪುಗಳು, ಸಹಾಯಧನದ ಸಾಲ, ತರಬೇತಿ, ಹೊಸ ಉದ್ಯೋಗಕ್ಕೆ ಪ್ರೋತ್ಸಾಹ — ಉಳಿದ ಯೋಜನೆಗಳು. (→ English: MGNREGA · labour codes · हिन्दी: मनरेगा · श्रम संहिताएँ)

In exam EnglishPart 3 covered policy. MGNREGA (2005, in force 2 February 2006) gave every rural household a legal right to at least 100 days of unskilled wage work on demand: work within 15 days or an unemployment allowance from the state, work within 5 km, at least one-third women, social audit by the Gram Sabha, and the Centre paying all unskilled wages. The VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 replaced it from 1 July 2026 with 125 days, a seasonal pause of up to 60 days, a normative allocation to each state and 60:40 cost sharing (90:10 for north-eastern and Himalayan states). The four labour codes, in force from 21 November 2025, merged 29 laws, while DAY-NRLM, PMEGP, PMKVY and the PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana promote self-employment, skills and formal hiring.
Poverty and unemployment at a glance
Measure or lawYearKey figure or feature
Tendulkar Expert Group200921.9% poor in 2011-12 (last official estimate)
Rangarajan Expert Group201429.5% poor in 2011-12; not adopted
World Bank extreme poverty line$3.00 a day at 2021 PPP (2025)India 5.3% in 2022-23
National MPI (NITI Aayog)January 2024 paper29.17% (2013-14) to 11.28% (2022-23)
PLFS (usual status, 15+)2017; redesigned 2025Unemployment rate 3.2%, LFPR 60.1% in 2023-24
MGNREGA2005; in force 2 February 2006At least 100 days per rural household on demand
VB-G RAM G Act2025; in force 1 July 2026125 days; 60:40 cost sharing; normative allocation
Four labour codes2019–2020; in force 21 November 202529 central laws merged

Exam traps

Recap

Practice questions

Q1. The calorie norms of 2,400 per day in rural areas and 2,100 per day in urban areas for drawing the poverty line were first adopted by

  1. the Alagh Task Force (1979)
  2. the Lakdawala Expert Group (1993)
  3. the Tendulkar Expert Group (2009)
  4. the Rangarajan Expert Group (2014)
Show answer

Answer: A. the Alagh Task Force (1979)

The Alagh Task Force of 1979 tied the line to these calorie norms. Lakdawala kept them but made state-specific lines; Tendulkar dropped the calorie anchor; Rangarajan used calorie, protein and fat norms with separate baskets, so it did not first adopt them either.

Q2. Consider the following statements:
1. India's last official poverty estimate is for 2011-12.
2. The Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2023-24 gave an official poverty ratio based on a new poverty line.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Statement 1 is correct: the Tendulkar estimate of 21.9 per cent for 2011-12 is the last official figure. Statement 2 is wrong: the HCES reports consumption spending, and no new official poverty line has been adopted. So '2 only', 'Both' and 'Neither' are wrong.

Q3. Which one of the following publishes the global Multidimensional Poverty Index?

  1. The World Bank
  2. The International Monetary Fund
  3. OPHI and UNDP
  4. NITI Aayog
Show answer

Answer: C. OPHI and UNDP

The global MPI is published by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative with UNDP. The World Bank publishes the international money-based poverty line, the IMF does not publish poverty indices, and NITI Aayog publishes India's national MPI, not the global one.

Q4. In a labour force survey, the unemployment rate is calculated as the number of unemployed persons as a percentage of

  1. the total population
  2. the labour force
  3. the working-age population
  4. the number of employed persons
Show answer

Answer: B. the labour force

The unemployment rate is the unemployed as a share of the labour force, that is, the employed plus the unemployed. Dividing by the total or working-age population gives a different and smaller ratio, and dividing by the employed alone leaves the unemployed out of the base.

Q5. Consider the following statements about the Periodic Labour Force Survey:
1. Under current daily status, activity is recorded for each day of the reference week in half-day units.
2. Since January 2025, the PLFS has published monthly estimates on current weekly status.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: C. Both 1 and 2

Both statements are correct: CDS records each day in half-day units, giving person-days, and the redesigned PLFS gives monthly CWS estimates from 2025. So '1 only', '2 only' and 'Neither' are wrong.

Q6. When more members of a family work on a farm than it needs, so that withdrawing some of them would not reduce output, the situation is best described as

  1. structural unemployment
  2. disguised unemployment
  3. frictional unemployment
  4. cyclical unemployment
Show answer

Answer: B. disguised unemployment

This is disguised unemployment: the extra workers' marginal product is close to zero though they appear employed. Structural unemployment is a lasting skill mismatch, frictional unemployment a short gap between jobs and cyclical unemployment a result of falling demand in a downturn.

Q7. Consider the following pairs:
1. MGNREGA — at least 100 days of wage employment per rural household in a financial year
2. VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 — 125 days of wage employment per rural household in a financial year
3. VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 — cost sharing of 75:25 between the Centre and most states
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 and 2 only

Pairs 1 and 2 are correct. Pair 3 is wrong: the new Act shares costs 60:40 between the Centre and most states (90:10 for north-eastern and Himalayan states). So '2 and 3 only', '1 and 3 only' and '1, 2 and 3' are wrong.

Q8. The four labour codes that merged 29 central labour laws came into force on

  1. 1 April 2021
  2. 1 April 2024
  3. 21 November 2025
  4. 1 July 2026
Show answer

Answer: C. 21 November 2025

Although passed in 2019 and 2020, the codes waited for rules and came into force together on 21 November 2025. 1 April 2021 and 1 April 2024 are not their dates of commencement, and 1 July 2026 is when the VB-G RAM G Act came into force.

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