NITI Aayog on Monday released a discussion paper titled ‘Multidimensional Poverty’ according to which since 2005-06, India has registered a significant decline in National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) from 29.17% in 2013-14 to 11.28% in 2022-23. This indicates a reduction of 17.89%, which has led to 24.82 crore people escaping the multidimensional poverty in last 9 years.
Commenting on the same, PM Modi on Monday reiterated the government’s commitment to continue to work towards all-round development and to ensure a prosperous future for every Indian.
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Posted on Social Media platform X, PM Modi wrote “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.”
Key Highlights of the Discussion:
According to NITI Aayog’s discussion paper, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan recorded the largest decline in number of MPI poor during the last 9 years.
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Further, the paper said that India likely achieved SDG Target 1.2 (reducing multi-dimensional poverty by at least half) much ahead of 2030. Additionally, all the 12 indicators show significant signs of improvement.
The paper also said that the pace of decline in poverty accelerated after 2015-16, and that the states with high poverty rates experienced faster decline- reduction in disparities.
The National MPI measures simultaneous deprivations across the three equally weighted dimensions of health, education, and standard of living that are represented by 12 SDG-aligned indicators. These include nutrition, child and adolescent mortality, maternal health, years of schooling, school attendance, cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing, assets, and bank accounts. Marked improvement is witnessed across all the 12 indicators.
Government Initiatives
The Government of India in the last 9 years has introduced several initiatives and programmes that have been benefiting the poor and aimed at reducing the disparities. The Government has been dedicatedly focussed on improving access to sanitation, nutrition, cooking fuel, financial inclusion, drinking water, and electricity has led to significant advancements in these areas.
Initiatives like Saubhagya, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), and Samagra Shiksha have also played a major role in significantly reducing multidimensional poverty in the country. Furthermore, flagship programmes like the Poshan Abhiyan and Anaemia Mukt Bharat have contributed to reduced deprivations in health. Initiatives such as Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) have improved sanitation across the country.
For eg, Jal Jeevan Mission crossed several milestones in 2023: from 11 crore rural household tap connections in January, 2023 to nearly 14 crore tap connection in December, 2023, which has been providing safe drinking water to the citizens.
