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The proportion of the poor is not the same in every state in India. Though there has been a decline in poverty in every state since from the early seventies, the poverty ratio varies from state to state. The states like Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha had above all India poverty levels. Bihar and Orissa continue to be the two poorest states with poverty ratios of 33.7% and 32.6%.
Both rural and urban poverty is quite high in Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. On the other hand, states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Kerala, Punjab, and West Bengal have shown a significant decline in poverty. Public distribution of food grains focuses on human resource development, high agricultural development, and land reform measures are some of the factors responsible for the decline in poverty in these states.