India’s Poorest Man? Income Certificate Claims Annual Earning Of Just Rs 3 | Mystery Explained

Photo Credit: @ZeeNews/ X

Stories of billionaires are often told, but a recent incident from Madhya Pradesh has stunned people across India for an entirely different reason. An official certificate listed Ramswaroop from Satna district's annual income as just Rs. 3.

A photograph of the income certificate—bearing the signature of the local tehsildar—has gone viral, shocking viewers. While India’s average per capita annual income is around Rs. 2.05 lakh, Ramswaroop’s declared income comes down to just 25 paise per month, or less than one paise per day. In today's DNA episode, Zee News analysed the annual income of the "poorest man in India":

Watch Full DNA Episode Here:

DNA : देश का सबसे 'गरीब आदमी' मिल गया, जिसकी..साल की कमाई सिर्फ 3 रुपये है!#DNA #Poor #Satna #MadhyaPradesh @pratyushkkhare pic.twitter.com/cvrUopmfbJ — Zee News (@ZeeNews) July 26, 2025

To put that into context, the average Indian earns around Rs. 17,000 per month, and Rs. 570 per day.

In today’s economy, where even a 50-paise price hike causes concern, one wonders—how does someone with a 25-paise monthly income survive? Most people had never even seen a 25-paise coin. 

The Reserve Bank of India had officially demonetized coins of 25 paise in June 2011, taking them out of circulation. The question then arises—how could anyone survive on a wage that, on paper, doesn’t even exist in the economy anymore?

Truth Behind India's 'Poorest Man'

In conversation with the authorities, it was revealed that the Rs. 3 income listed in Ramswaroop’s certificate was the result of a clerical error. Officials clarified that his actual annual income is ₹30,000, not Rs. 3. Two certificates—one old and one revised—have since surfaced on social media, with the updated version showing the correct figure.

The initial certificate, however, had already gone viral, triggering a flood of reactions online and briefly making Ramswaroop the face of extreme poverty in India.