The first Socio Economic and Caste Census in India since 1934, SECC 2011 has been released on 3rd July, 2015  by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Among the crucial findings of the exercise, conducted by the Ministry of Rural Development, was that 30% of rural households are landless and derive a major part of their income from manual casual labour.

Nearly 19 per cent of India’s rural population in 2011 lacked one of the seven parameters used to estimate deprivation that include source of income, the presence of an able and literate adult and quality of dwelling.

The extent of and approach to deprivation captured by the SECC, 2011 contrasts with the poverty estimates of the erstwhile planning Commission, which were income based.

                                                                                                     (Source: The Hindu)