Answer: Their per capita consumption expenditure is below a set threshold
Notes: India adopts the per capita consumption expenditure method to define poverty line status. The Rangarajan Committee in 2014 revised this threshold to ₹972 per person per month in rural areas and ₹1407 per person per month in urban areas. Estimation uses National Sample Survey Office data. Poverty line decisions now rest with NITI Aayog’s task force. Earlier, the Tendulkar Committee (2009) recommended changes from calorie intake norms.
