India’s Multidimensional Poverty Declines by 9.89%

New Delhi: A new report by Niti Aayog shows that India’s multidimensional poverty has declined by 9.89% between 2015-16 and 2019-21. This means that as many as 13.5 crore people have moved out of multidimensional poverty in the last five years.

The report, titled “National Multidimensional Poverty Index: A Progress Review 2023,” measures multidimensional poverty by looking at deprivations in three areas: health, education, and standard of living. The report found that there have been significant improvements in all 12 indicators used to measure multidimensional poverty.

The report attributes the decline in poverty to the government’s focus on improving access to sanitation, nutrition, cooking fuel, financial inclusion, drinking water, and electricity. The report also found that the fastest reduction in poverty was observed in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Rajasthan.

The report’s findings suggest that India is on track to achieve SDG Target 1.2 (of reducing multidimensional poverty by at least half) by 2030.