Malkangiri Tops Odisha’s Poverty List, Puri Leads in Poverty Reduction

Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s Malkangiri district has the highest poverty rate in the state, while Puri has the lowest, according to NITI Aayog’s National Multidimensional Poverty Index. Odisha’s poverty reduction efforts have contributed to the significant decline in multidimensional poverty across India. Let’s explore the key findings and progress made in combating poverty in Odisha.

Key Findings:

• Malkangiri district has the highest percentage of multidimensionally poor individuals at 45.01%, while Puri has the lowest at 3.29%.
• Other districts with high poverty rates include Rayagada, Koraput, Nabarangpur, and Mayurbhanj.
• Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Khurda, Cuttack, Ganjam, Nayagarh, Jharsuguda, Sonepur, Kendrapara, and Balangir have poverty rates below 10%.

Progress in Odisha:

• Between 2015-16 and 2019-21, around 62.6 lakh people in Odisha were lifted out of poverty.
• Odisha’s overall poverty rate decreased from 29.34% to 15.68%.
• Rural poverty reduced from 32.64% to 17.72%, while urban poverty decreased from 12.32% to 5.42%.

Also Read | India’s Multidimensional Poverty Declines by 9.89%

National Progress:

• India witnessed a decline in multidimensional poverty from 24.85% to 14.96% between 2015-16 and 2019-21.
• Uttar Pradesh had the highest decline, followed by Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Rajasthan.

Outlook for India:

• The number of states with less than 10% of their population in poverty doubled in five years.
• Odisha’s role has been crucial, although it ranks eighth from the bottom in terms of multidimensional poverty.

Odisha’s multidimensional poverty has shown a significant decline, contributing to India’s overall progress. Efforts to reduce poverty in Odisha have resulted in positive outcomes, with substantial improvements seen in both rural and urban areas. With continued efforts, India aims to uplift more individuals out of poverty and achieve its Sustainable Development Goal targets ahead of schedule.