The percentage of people living below the poverty line in Assam went up to 37.9 per cent in 2009-10 compared with 34.4 per cent in 2004-05 as per the Planning Commission release today.
There were over 1.16 crore people below the poverty line in the State in 2009-10, up from 97 lakh in 2004-05, the release said.
While the rate of poverty stood at 39.9 per cent in rural areas of the State, that in urban areas was 26.1 per cent.
The state specific poverty line was calculated on the basis of a monthly per capita income of Rs 691.7 in rural areas and Rs 871 in urban areas of Assam, which has a poverty ratio far higher than the national average, it said.