Forest clearances
Since 1981, when the Forest Conservation Act was enacted, 1,183,967 hectares (ha) of forests have been diverted; one-fourth of the diversions was done in the past five years
The Planning Commission has rejected the poverty estimate made on the basis of the latest consumption expenditure survey by the National Sample Survey Office. The survey done in 2009-10 reveals a wide gap in the expenditures of the rural and urban residents. This implies high inequality. What’s more, people in villages now spend a larger share of their income on food and other necessities as compared to those in towns and cities