What are the most vulerable are …

(i) Social Groups: The social groups which are most vulnerable to poverty are scheduled caste and scheduled tribe households. Although the average for people below poverty line for all groups in India is 30, 48 out of 100 people belonging to scheduled tribes in rural areas are not able to meet their basic needs.
(ii) Economic groups : Similarly among the economic groups, the most vulnerable groups are the rural agricultural labour households and the urban casual labour households.
(iii) Inequality with in family :
Apart from these social groups, there is also inequality of incomes within a family. In poor families all suffer, but some suffer more than others. Women, elderly people and female infants are systematically denied equal access to resources available to the family.
Therefore women, children (especially the girl child) and old people are poorest of the poor.