 "In 9 years, 248 mn moved out of multidimensional poverty: NITI Aayog")
As many as 248.2 million Indians are projected to have come out of multidimensional poverty between 2013-14 and 2022-23, according to the latest NITI Aayog discussion paper titled ‘Multidimensional Poverty in India since 2005-06’, released on Monday.
The paper estimated that the share of the multidimensional poor in India’s population declined sharply to 11.28 per cent in 2022-23 from 29.17 per cent in 2013-14. In 2019-21, it stood at 14.96 per cent.
“Very encouraging, reflecting our commitment towards furthering inclusive growth and focusing on transformative changes to our economy. We will continue to work towards all-round development and to ensure a prosperous future for every Indian,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X quoting the NITI Aayog.
The paper also showed that the pace of decline in poverty headcount ratio using the exponential method was much faster between 2015-16 and 2019-21 (10.66 per cent annual rate of decline) compared with the 2005-06 to 2015-16 period (7.69 per cent annual rate of decline). “All 12 indicators of MPI have recorded significant improvement during the entire study period,” the NITI Aayog said.
The discussion paper by the central government think-tank interpolated and projected the poverty headcount ratio for the year 2013-14 using the National Family Health Survey-3 (NFHS-3) data. Similarly, the headcount ratio for the year 2022-23 was interpolated on the basis of the rate of decline seen between NFHS-4 (2015-16) and NFHS- 5 (2019-21).
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“With this, India is also likely to have achieved the sustainable development goal (SDG) 1.2 target of reducing poverty by half, much ahead of 2030,” the paper said.
The multidimensional poverty index (MPI) identifies and captures overlapping deprivations in health, education, and living standards that are represented by 12 SDG-aligned indicators, such as nutrition, child and adolescent mortality, maternal health, years of schooling, school attendance, cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, and housing. Earlier, poverty estimates predominantly relied on income as the sole indicator.
Briefing reporters, NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand said MPI was a better indicator for estimating poverty than income-based measures, as income was generally a means to achieving something; in many cases, it might not be used for productive expenditure, and the expenditure might be made by taking debt.
“Moreover, the income-based methodologies don't incorporate the number of welfare measures that are being taken by the government, while MPI does that. Also, it is flexible and we can add or remove indicators once the saturation levels are attained in that particular indicator,” he added.
Among states, Uttar Pradesh registered the biggest decline in the number of poor, with 59.4 million people coming out of multidimensional poverty in the past nine years. It was followed by Bihar (37.7 million), Madhya Pradesh (23 million), and Rajasthan (18.7 million).
The report also noted that initiatives like ‘Poshan Abhiyan’ and ‘Anaemia-mukt Bharat’ significantly enhanced access to healthcare facilities, leading to a substantial decrease in deprivation, whereas the targeted public distribution system under the National Food Security Act covered 813.5 million beneficiaries, providing food grains to rural and urban populations.
“Various programmes addressing maternal health, clean cooking fuel distribution through Ujjwala Yojana, improved electricity coverage via Saubhagya, and transformative campaigns like Swachh Bharat Mission and Jal Jeevan Mission have collectively elevated living conditions and overall well-being of people. Additionally, flagship programmes like the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and the PM Awas Yojana have played pivotal roles in financial inclusion and in providing safe housing to the underprivileged,” the NITI Aayog said in a statement.
