New Delhi, Mar 28: Nearly one third of Muslims in India survive on less than Rs 550 a month, economic think tank NCAER said, amid the ongoing debate on reservations in jobs and educational institutions for those belonging to the community.
A survey by the National Council for Applied Economic Research said that three out of every 10 Muslims were below poverty line (BPL) and lived on less than Rs 550 a month in the year 2004-05.
Even among the poor, urban Muslims were better off compared to those in villages, who survived on Rs 338 a month during the year under review, NCAER said.
On the other hand, only 3.4 per cent population in Jammu & Kashmir lives below the poverty line, followed by 4.3 per cent in Himachal Pradesh and 4.9 per cent in Punjab.
“The Adivasis are the most vulnerable group with nearly 50 per cent below the poverty line...(followed by) the Dalits and Muslims with poverty rates of 32 per cent and 31 per cent,” said the Indian Human Development survey conducted by the NCAER and University of Maryland of the US. The survey took the poverty line at Rs 356 per person per month in rural areas and at Rs 538 in urban areas for 2004-05.
Besides, the survey said Muslims are at the bottom in terms of rural household income.
However, in India, Muslim households are slightly better off than dalits and adivasis as a whole.
“Adivasi and dalit households have the lowest annual income. The OBCs and Muslim households are slightly better off,” the report said. As per the 2001 census, there were 13.8 crore Muslims, accounting for 13.4 per cent of the total population of India. The survey said Muslims are most likely to generate income from small family businesses, partly because of educational differences across the community. It said social group differences in enrolment are striking.
Dalit, adivasi and Muslim children are far less likely to enrol in schools and are slightly more likely to drop out than others, the survey said.

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