Poverty declined after reforms in India, says PM

Bhubaneswar: The economic reforms have helped in reducing poverty in India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Sunday.

He, however, admitted to there being "some arguments that reforms have adversely affected the poor, making rich richer and poor poorer and it has created various differences".

But, he pointed out "Ideally facts are quite clear. The percentage (of people) below poverty line has not increased. In fact, the population below poverty line has declined after economic reforms, at least at the same rate as it was before."

Manmohan Singh was speaking at the 92nd annual conference of the Indian Economic Association in Bhubaneswar.

"It is true that the rate of decline has not been as it should have been. But the reforms have helped in declining poverty and there is no doubt.

"Some economists argued that the poverty line should have been bridged. That means the percentage in poverty is obviously high. That does not mean that the percentage below the poverty line is not declining," the prime minister said.