About 248.2 million people in India escaped multidimensional poverty in the last nine years, according to the latest findings by NITI Aayog, the government's think tank.
In the paper, titled 'Multidimensional Poverty in India since 2005-06,’ Prof Ramesh Chand of NITI Aayog, credited the government's initiatives to address various dimensions of poverty between 2013-14 to 2022-23.
The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), a globally recognized measure, witnessed a steep decline in India from 29.17 percent in 2013-14 to 11.28 percent in 2022-23, indicating a reduction of 17.89 percentage points.
Uttar Pradesh recorded the largest decline, followed by Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. All 12 MPI indicators exhibited significant improvement during the study period.
Major government initiatives that contributed to the achievement include ‘Poshan Abhiyan’ and ‘Anemia Mukt Bharat’ which led to improved access to healthcare. In addition, the Targeted Public Distribution System provided food grains, and programs like ‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana’, ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ and ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ collectively elevated living conditions.
Lastly, ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana’ and ‘PM Awas Yojana’ played key roles in financial inclusion and providing safe housing, the report highlighted.
While state performances varied, traditionally high-poverty states made remarkable progress. The nation was on track to achieve SDG Target 1.2 well before 2030.
The Oxford Policy and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) provided technical inputs for the paper.
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