Table 4.

Changes in selected characteristics of the dimensions of poverty

	2005	2010	2012
Poverty headcount ratio (%)
Total	49.4	48.7	39.9
Rural	55.1	56.1	44.6
Urban	28.4	23.8	24.8
Monthly per capita expenditure (in INR)
All items	519.2	584.0	626.9
Food items	324.6	317.9	207.3
Non-staples	273.6	402.4	447.6
Non-food	194.6	266.1	419.5
Change in wage/salary (in INR)*
Regular wage/salaried employees†	116.0	202.3	140.6
Casual labourers‡ in public works	61.0	61.8	71.9
Casual labourers‡ in other work	34.0	49.4	48.4
Change in jobs (%)
Workers in agriculture	77		73
Workers in industry	10		13
Workers in services	13		14
Workers who are self-employed	52		54
Workers who are salaried	8		10
Workers on casual wage	40		36

Poverty headcount ratio (Reserve Bank of India); monthly per capita expenditure (calculated from the Household Consumption Survey of the National Sample Survey Organisation), change in wages and jobs (Calculated from the Employment and Unemployment Survey data of the National Sample Survey Organisation).

*Wage/salary recorded for person in a day.

†15–59 years of age who are casually engaged in other’s farm or non-farm enterprises (both household and non-household) and, in return, received wages according to the terms of the daily or periodic work contract.

‡Persons who work in other’s farm or non-farm enterprises (both household and non-household) and received salary or wages on a regular basis (ie, not on the basis of daily or periodic renewal of work contract). This category includes not only persons getting time wage but also persons receiving piece wage or salary and paid apprentices, both full time and part time.