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This study examines the status of real consumer expenditures of the poorer decile groups during the past three decades. Per capita calorie intake in general has declined for the richer sections and increased for the poorer ones, though not sufficiently, in both rural and urban India. Similar profiles are found across states with differences in income percentiles at which they converge. Reductions incalorie intake have taken place almost on a sustained basis for the majority, the higher decilegroups in particular, for the past three decades. This should have spelt a worsening health disaster, which has not happened. State wise profiles on calorie intake and deprivation reveal little co-variation with related health outcome parameters.