Poverty Situation in Tribal and Non-tribal Area of Gujarat, India

The present investigation undertook to study the extent of poverty in the tribal and non-tribal areas applying the FGT index. Results showed that overall poverty was higher in the tribal area as compared to non-tribal areas. Among farm sectors in the tribal and non-tribal area, the highest poverty in marginal farm households was followed by landless agricultural labors and small farm households. The overall poverty gap index revealed, on average, 11 percent and 4 percent of the poverty line cash transfer needed to lift each poor person out of poverty in tribal and non-tribal areas, respectively. The value of the squared poverty gap index showed poverty was less severe in non-tribal areas. The poverty line’s average expenditure gap shows poor of tribal areas were more flawed than the poor of non-tribal regions in Central Gujarat. Overall expenditure of poor households on food items constituted maximum share followed by non-food items, medical and education in the tribal and non-tribal area. In tribal regions, both poor and non-poor people were spending more on intoxicant and tobacco products than non-tribal areas. The government should give regular employment to inadequate household programs like MGNREGA. There is a dire need to make an awareness program to control the use of intoxicants and tobacco in general for both the area and particularly in tribal areas because they were spending more on these items.