City's poverty levels down: Survey

from The Times of India

PUNE: If a survey conducted by the state Urban Development Department (UDD) is any indication, Pune will soon bid goodbye to poverty.

Rising investments, growing businesses, booming IT and construction sectors and subsequent growth in job opportunities have helped in improving standards of living and significantly bringing down the poverty levels across the city.

The survey, which was carried out in 18 big cities besides 225 towns across the state, showed a nine per cent dip in poverty levels in the city since 1998.

State UDD principal secretary T.C. Benjamin, who was earlier Municipal Commissioner of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), termed urbanisation as the major cause for this change.

"The survey found that the number of BPL (below the poverty line) families in Pune and other big cities has gone down by about 9 per cent. Besides, families earning less than Rs 591 per person per month, which is the cut-off amount decided by the Union government to recognise BPL families, were surveyed. Other parameters like accommodation, profession and living conditions were applied," Benjamin said.

The survey also found that urban poverty in the state has gone up by only 3.46 per cent since 1998 while poverty levels have grown in smaller towns by about 13 per cent.

Incidentally, 40 per cent of Pune's population - an estimated 14 lakh people - live in slums. According to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) estimates, about 1 lakh people migrate to the city every year and a majority of them settle in slums.

Pune's slum population has grown by 176 per cent since 1991.