According to Indian nutrition planning norms, what is the accepted average daily Calorie requirement for a person living in a rural area of India?

Introduction / Context:
The concept of minimum daily Calorie requirement is central to discussions of poverty lines, nutrition security, and public health planning in India. Traditionally, the Planning Commission and nutrition experts used different Calorie norms for rural and urban populations because of differences in physical activity levels. This question tests whether you know the accepted benchmark value that has often been used for rural areas in India.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The focus is on an accepted average daily Calorie requirement, not on exact individual needs.
• The population considered is rural, where physical work in agriculture and related activities is common.
• Options listed are 2100, 2200, 2300, and 2400 kilocalories per person per day.
• We assume adult average requirements used in planning exercises, not special groups like children or pregnant women.

Concept / Approach:
Historically, Indian nutrition and planning documents have adopted different Calorie norms for rural and urban populations. Rural residents often perform more physically demanding work, so their energy expenditure tends to be higher than that of many urban residents engaged in lighter service sector jobs. Because of this, the standard planning norm for rural areas was fixed at around 2400 kilocalories per person per day, whereas for urban areas it was often taken as about 2100 kilocalories per person per day. Individual needs can vary with age, sex, body weight, health status, and intensity of work, but an average norm is still useful for policy and statistical purposes. Therefore, among the options given, 2400 kilocalories per person per day is the accepted average daily Calorie requirement used for rural India in many official and textbook discussions.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Textbooks on Indian economy and public health often describe the traditional poverty line in terms of the ability to consume at least 2400 kilocalories per person per day in rural areas and 2100 kilocalories per person per day in urban areas. These norms were used in several official poverty assessments. Although modern poverty measurement methods emphasise consumption expenditure rather than a strict Calorie line, the underlying Calorie norms are still widely taught in competitive exam preparation. This confirms that 2400 kilocalories per person per day is the accepted average requirement for rural India in this context.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

2100 kilocalories per person per day is wrong here because it is usually associated with urban Calorie norms, where average physical activity is assumed to be slightly lower.

2200 kilocalories per person per day is incorrect because it does not correspond to the standard benchmark used historically for either rural or urban poverty lines.

2300 kilocalories per person per day is also wrong since it is not the widely accepted standard for rural areas in planning documents, even though some individual rural adults may need roughly this amount.

Common Pitfalls:
Many students mix up the rural and urban Calorie norms or assume that both are the same. Others may think that 2100 or 2200 kilocalories is enough for everyone, ignoring higher energy expenditure in agriculture and manual labour. To avoid confusion, remember the standard planning pair: about 2400 kilocalories per person per day for rural areas and about 2100 kilocalories per person per day for urban areas, which makes 2400 the correct choice in this question.

Final Answer:
Therefore, the accepted average daily Calorie requirement for a person living in rural India is 2400 kilocalories per person per day.