Analysis of Incidence and Determinants of Poverty Among Scheduled Caste Households in Rural Punjab

The present article attempts to analyse the incidence and determinants of poverty among Scheduled Caste (SC) households in rural Punjab. The study based on the primary data of 543 SC households selected from rural areas of Punjab, concluded that the incidence of consumption-based poverty among different categories is slightly less than the incidence of income-based poverty among different categories of SCs across sampled districts. One explanation for this is that SC households try to maintain a minimum standard of living by taking loans from various institutional as well as non-institutional agencies. There is a negative relationship between the income earned by SC households and the percentage of those living below the poverty line (BPL). The study suggests that the proportion of SCs living BPL can decrease with an increase in their level of income and employment.