Developing Asia stands witness to the impact of economic growth on poverty reduction. The incomes and quality of life for many people have improved and poverty levels are falling. But results vary with rural growth lagging behind urban growth in many countries and subregions. Two thirds of the region's 3 billion people live in rural areas, and in India, for example, 74 percent of people classified as poor are in rural areas (ADB 2004). The difference in urban and rural growth and poverty outcomes is socially and politically untenable, as witnessed in the recent election in India. Rural poverty problems in many cases become urban poverty problems through rising pressure on cities to absorb rural migrants needing jobs, homes and services.

https://www.adb.org/publications/accelerating-agriculture-and-rural-development-inclusive-growth-policy-implications