5.6 Household Income and Consumption
NTPC is committed to raising the average annual income of resettled households to USD 800 (at
June 2002 values) at the start of fifth year after relocation which is also above the national poverty
line. Both the government and NTPC are also committed to an ambitious “best endeavour” target,
which involves raising the average income of households in the NT2 resettlement area above the
national average rural income level or to an alternative level equivalent to $1,200 (at June 2002
values) by the ninth year after relocation,(Porter and Shivakumar 2010)
Table 3 shows the income distribution among households on the plateau at the time of the
baseline survey that was conducted in 1998. In that year 58 % or 668 of the 1,160 households had
an annual income of USD 400 or less while 32 % or 377 households had an income between USD
401 and 800. As in most communities there are a few households with a relatively high income
which was 6 % ranging between USD 801-1,200 and 4 % with more than USD 1,200 (NTPC 2005
b chp:2 p.24).