While determining the poverty line in India, a minimum requirement of food was taken into consideration. What is the average requirement of calories per person per day in rural areas?

While determining the poverty line in India, a minimum requirement of food was taken into consideration. What is the average requirement of calories per person per day in rural areas? Correct Answer 2400 calories

• It is also known as poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline.
• It is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country.
• The poverty line is usually calculated by finding the total cost of all the essential resources that an average human adult consumes in one year.
• The poverty line is estimated periodically (normally every five years) by conducting sample surveys.

• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recommends per-person per-day calorie norms of 2400 kcal for rural areas and 2100 kcal for urban areas.
• While Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) uses a common minimum required calorie norm of 1800 kcal per person per day for both rural and urban populations.
• The calorie requirement of the people in rural areas is higher than that of the people living in urban areas.
• This is because they do more physical work as compared to urban people.   
• On the basis of the monetary calculations revised from time to time, for the year 2011–12.
• The poverty line for a person was fixed at Rs 816 per month for rural areas and Rs 1000 for urban areas
•  Despite less calorie requirement, the higher amount for urban areas has been fixed because of high prices of many essential products in urban centres. 
• In this way in the year 2011-12, a family of five members living in rural areas and earning less than about Rs 4,080 per month will be below the poverty line.
• A similar family in the urban areas would need a minimum of Rs 5,000 per month to meet their basic requirements.

​Thus, the average requirement of calories per person per day in rural areas is 2400 calories.