POVERTY

Poverty has the closest link with all demographic processes. Therefore, we need an estimation of poverty by regions and social classes. According to Planning Commission (2008), 27.5 percent of the population of the country is living below the poverty line – Rs. 356 monthly per capita consumption expenditure for rural areas and Rs. 539 for urban areas. The percentage of poor is slightly higher in rural areas (28.3) than in urban areas (25.7). Planning Commission also notes that there is a growing consensus that the poverty line in India is very low. If the poverty line was higher, the share of the population below the poverty line would be accordingly higher. Further, only about 15 percent of the labour force is engaged in relatively high quality work in the organized sector, the rest is engaged in agriculture, self employment, unorganized sector and informal work without regular salary or job protection.

LITERACY

Literacy is supposed to be an indicator of development, particularly social development. It is also correlated with all demographic characteristics and processes. Before the advent of the British, India had its own model of education in which education was provided to all boys through schools associated with temples and madrasas, girls were educated at home. The British rule destroyed it first and then tried to build its own model of education. This created multiple forms of inequalities. The new system helped the metropolitan people in the developed regions, especially males and upper classes, and marginalised others.