24 Crore Indians Move Out Of Multidimensional Poverty In 9 Yrs, PM Says Committed to Prosperous Future

A record 24.82 crore people in India moved out of multidimensional poverty between 2013-14 to 2022-23, according to the Niti Aayog’s report titled ‘Multidimensional Poverty in India since 2005-06’  released on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it is very encouraging, reflecting his government’s commitment towards furthering inclusive growth and focussing on transformative changes to our economy.

We will continue to work towards all-round development and to ensure a prosperous future for every Indian, he added.

The report further said that there was a significant decline in multidimensional poverty in India from 29.17% in 2013-14 to 11.28% in 2022-23 i.e. a reduction of 17.89 percentage points and the states that recorded the largest downturn in the number of MPI poor include Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh registered the largest decline in the number of poor with 5.94 crore people escaping multidimensional poverty during the last nine years followed by Bihar at 3.77 crore, Madhya Pradesh at 2.30 crore and Rajasthan at 1.87 crore.

The report takes into account data between the period of 2013-14 and 2022-23. The report also highlights that all 12 indicators of MPI have recorded significant improvement during the entire study period.

“India is likely to achieve its SDG target of halving multidimensional poverty well before 2030. The Government’s persistent dedication and resolute commitment to enhancing the lives of the most vulnerable and deprived have been instrumental in this accomplishment,” the report mentioned.

The report also talks about the extensive steps taken against poverty under initiatives like Poshan Abhiyan and Anemia Mukt Bharat that have significantly enhanced access to healthcare facilities, leading to a substantial decrease in deprivation.

“Operating one of the world’s largest food security programs, the Targeted Public Distribution System under the National Food Security Act covers 81.35 crore beneficiaries, providing food grains to rural and urban populations,” the report stated.

For the unversed, the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is a globally recognized comprehensive measure that captures poverty in multiple dimensions beyond monetary aspects.

MPI’s global methodology is based on the robust Alkire and Foster (AF) method that identifies people as poor based on a universally acknowledged metric designed to assess acute poverty, providing a complementary perspective to conventional monetary poverty measures.