Poverty down to 31.5pc: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said the country's poverty has come down to 31.5 percent due to an average 6.2 percent GDP growth over the past three years of Awami League-led government.

She was replying to a query of Comilla-8 MP Nasimul Alam Chowdhury in Parliament.

"GDP has increased by 6.2 percent on an average over the past three years during the incumbent government, per capita income gone up to $848 and poverty rate has come down to 31.5 from 41 percent," she said.

The Prime Minister said the foreign currency reserve also crossed $10-billion mark as remittances inflow had increased by 9.8 percent.

Hasina told the House that GDP grew by 5.7 percent during 2008-2009 fiscal, 6.1 percent during 2009-2010 fiscal and it increased to 6.7 percent during 2010-2011 fiscal.

According to statistics of nine months of the outgoing 2011-2012 fiscal, 6.3 percent GDP growth had been achieved, she informed.

She said per capita income during 2008-2009 fiscal was $676, while it increased to $848 during the outgoing 2011-2012 fiscal.

"The poverty rate (based on headcount) in 2005 was 40.4 percent that came down to 31.5 percent in 2010," she claimed.

During this period, income discrimination ratio also came down significantly, Hasina said.

According to the World Bank, people with a daily average income lesser than $1.25 are considered poor.