Poverty and Calorie Deprivation across Socio-economic Groups in Rural India: a Disaggregated Analysis

This paper examines the linkages between calorie deprivation and poverty in rural India at a disaggregated level. It aims to explore the trends and pattern in levels of nutrient intake across social and economic groups. A spatial analysis at the state and NSS-region level unravels the spatial distribution of calorie deprivation in rural India. The gap between incidence of poverty and calorie deprivation has also been investigated. The paper also estimates the factors influencing calorie deprivation in rural India. The study point out that nutritional deprivation is high among marginalized social groups and regions. It is the poor, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, illiterate people, agricultural labourers and Muslims who are more likely to be calorie deprived.