Synopsis After attaining Independence, India adopted a model of planned economic development to alleviate the poverty of its masses. This has shown some improvement as far as general economic activity and raising of the per capita income are concerned. But the fact remains that the problems of poverty has not been solved so far despite planned efforts spanning over three and a half decades. Before measures for elimination of poverty from surgace of this land are suggested. It is imperative to have an idea about the extent of poverty. For this its is necessary to measure it at micro level. The present study has sought to measure the extent of poverty at micro level. It attempts to assess the extent of population below the poverty line. A new approach i.e. a minimum needs approach to identify the poor has been attempted. An efforts has been made to identify the causes of poverty with the help pf regression technique. A critical appraisal of the government policies and programmes for eradication of poverty with special reference to Rajasthan has also been ably attempted.