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There are no people in Belarus living on less than $1 a day, official says

There are no people in Belarus who live on less than a dollar a day, Ivan Belchyk, a departmental head at the economy ministry, said with reference to the 2011 UN Human Development Index at a news conference in Minsk on Wednesday.

The index is based on statistical data that cover the country's living standards in 2009.

He acknowledged that there were people in Belarus living on "less than $4 a day" but failed to say what share of the population this group accounted for.

According to official statisticians, some 4.2 percent of the country's population has an income below the Subsistence Minimum Budget (574,790 rubels, or $66.8 at present), which is regarded by the authorities as the official poverty line.

Antonius Broek, UN resident coordinator/UNDP resident representative, said that there are no people in Belarus who may be regarded as poor according to international standards. //BelaPAN