Stressing on poverty alleviation programmes, Economic Survey on Thursday said number of poor people in the country has significantly declined to 260 million during 1999-00 from 320 million recorded five years ago.

The survey said while the proportion of poor in rural areas have declined from 56.4 per cent in 1973-74 to 27.1 per cent in 1999-00, the decline in urban areas has come down to 23.6 per cent from 49 per cent.

In absolute terms, the number of poor declined to 260 million during 1999-00, with about 75 per cent of these being in the rural areas, the survey said adding that the poverty ratio has also declined to 26.1 per cent level in 1999-00 from 36 per cent five years ago.

Stressing on the anti-poverty strategies for those who can be directly affected by the national economic growth, survey said "safety nets should focus on those who either cannot participate in the growth process (for reasons of extreme deprivation or vulnerability combined with poverty) or face continuing exposure to risks."

However, the survey pointed out that there was a wide inter-state disparities in the poverty ratios between rural and urban areas as also in the rates of decline of poverty.

Among major states, Orissa, Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu which had over 50 per cent of their population below the poverty line in 1983, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal managed to reduce their poverty ratios by nearly half by 1999-2000, the survey said.