In India, Below Poverty Line (BPL) refers to households or individuals whose income or spending is too low to cover basic living needs, and it is used to identify people eligible for government support.

Quick scoop

The commonly cited poverty-line thresholds are about ₹1,059.42 per month in rural areas and ₹1,286 per month in urban areas. Another widely used older benchmark from the Tendulkar method is roughly less than ₹27 per day in rural areas and less than ₹33 per day in urban areas.

What BPL means

  • BPL = Below Poverty Line.
  • It is a government benchmark for economic disadvantage and welfare eligibility.
  • The idea is not just income, but the ability to meet essential needs like food, housing, healthcare, education, and transport.

Important note

Different reports and committees have used different poverty measures over time, so the exact number can vary depending on the methodology. More recent discussions also include multidimensional poverty , which looks beyond income alone.

In simple words

If someone asks “what is below poverty line in India?”, the short answer is: people or families whose income is too low to afford basic necessities, as defined by government poverty benchmarks.

If you want, I can also give you:

  • the latest official poverty definitions ,
  • BPL card eligibility , or
  • a simple Hindi explanation.