30 second read. Written by a grade 4 student

A poverty line is a mark, which differentiates between people who are poor, and people who cannot get their basic day to day needs like water and food. People who the government say are below the poverty line, are supplied enough money [by the government], to have their meals and drink water. A detailed study is done, after which a specific amount of money is supplied each month.

How much is supplied to each person every day?

So, recently the amount has risen. For the people of villages/rural areas, Rs.32 is supplied a day. For people in the city/urban areas, Rs. 47 is supplied a day.

Who arranges how much is to be given?

The Suresh Tendulkar Company does surveys on the basis of spending for food, water, electricity, education, health and transport. Another more famous company is the Rangarajan Committee.

How are families identified?

The government sends agencies to households, and there are a lot of ways to identify whether or not the family is below the poverty line. For example, if the house has more than 4 bedrooms, it is not considered. Even though you have to be very poor to be below the poverty line, there are millions of people in India who are below the poverty line.