Friday, 17 May, 2024
In the past nine years, significant measures addressing all aspects of poverty have helped 24.82 crore people escape multidimensional poverty. Image Source: IANS
An internationally accepted measure of poverty that takes into account more than just financial factors is the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).
According to the NITI Aayog's latest discussion paper, 'Multidimensional Poverty in India since 2005-06,' 24.82 crore people escaped multidimensional poverty in the last nine years. The discussion paper was released today by Prof Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog in presence of Shri B. V. R. Subrahmanyam, CEO NITI Aayog. The technical inputs for the paper were provided by Oxford Policy and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
An internationally accepted measure of poverty that takes into account more than just financial factors is the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). The foundation of MPI's global methodology is the reliable Alkire and Foster (AF) approach, which provides a contrasting viewpoint to traditional monetary poverty measures by classifying individuals as impoverished based on a widely accepted criterion intended to assess acute poverty. The Discussion Paper states that there has been a notable decrease in multidimensional poverty in India, with rates falling from 29.17% in 2013–14 to 11.28% in 2022–2023—a decrease of 17.89 percentage points. With 5.94 crore people leaving multidimensional poverty during the past nine years, Uttar Pradesh saw the biggest decrease in the number of poor, followed by Bihar (3.77 crore), Madhya Pradesh (2.30 crore), and Rajasthan (1.87 crore).
In the past nine years, significant measures addressing all aspects of poverty have helped 24.82 crore people escape multidimensional poverty. India is therefore expected to accomplish its SDG goal of reducing multidimensional poverty well in advance of 2030. This achievement has been made possible by the government's unwavering commitment to improving the lives of the most marginalised and vulnerable citizens.
Source: NITI Aayog report
The Indian government, which seeks to eradicate poverty in all its forms, has improved people's lives with incredible achievement. Prominent programmes such as Anaemia Mukt Bharat and Poshan Abhiyan have improved access to medical facilities and thereby reduced deprivation. Under the National Food Security Act, the Targeted Public Distribution System, one of the biggest food security initiatives globally, supplies food grains to both rural and urban populations, serving 81.35 crore people. The government's dedication is demonstrated by recent choices like the five-year extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana's free food grain distribution.
Maternal health initiatives, the distribution of clean cooking fuel under the Ujjwala Yojana, increased electricity coverage through Saubhagya, and groundbreaking campaigns like Swachh Bharat Mission and Jal Jeevan Mission have all contributed to an improvement in people's quality of life and general well-being. Furthermore, major initiatives like the PM Awas Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana have been essential in promoting financial inclusion and giving the poor access to safe housing.
Prof. Chand pointed out that the percentage of MPI poor people in 2022–2023 would have been far lower if not for the effects of the coronavirus epidemic. Additionally, because some of the NFHS-5 data collected between 2019 and 21 was collected prior to the pandemic, the report acknowledges that it "may not fully reflect the impact of Covid on the economy." Target 1.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) asks for reducing "at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions," and BVR Subrahmanyam noted that India is likely to accomplish this goal far in advance of 2030.
As per the paper, indicators in the standard of life dimension revealed maximum levels of deprivation in 2005-06. For example, in 2005–06, 74.4 percent of the population lacked cooking fuel; this percentage decreased to 58.47 percent in 2015–16 and then to 43.9 percent in 2019–21. Comparably, in 2005–06, 70.92 percent of the population lacked access to proper sanitary facilities; this percentage dropped to 51.88 percent in 2015–16 and then to 30.93 percent in 2019–21.
Twelve indicators—nutrition, child and adolescent mortality, maternal health, years of education, school attendance, drinking water, electricity, housing, and assets—are used to measure multidimensional poverty in India. Instead of based on deprivation primarily on income levels, MPI aims to measure poverty in a more comprehensive way.
