A record 13.5 crore people moved out of multidimensional poverty between 2015-16 and 2019-21, said a report released by NITI Aayog on July 17.
According to the report, National Multidimensional Poverty Index: A Progress Review 2023, India registered a significant decline in the number of multi-dimensionally poor from 24.85 percent in 2015-16 to 14.96 percent in 2019-2021, the report said. During this period, rural areas witnessed the fastest decline in poverty from 32.59 percent to 19.28 percent, it added.
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.
During the same period, the urban areas saw a reduction in poverty from 8.65 percent to 5.27 percent. Uttar Pradesh registered the highest decline in the number of poor with 3.43 crore, followed by Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Rajasthan.
The report provides multidimensional poverty estimates for the 36 States and Union Territories and 707 Administrative Districts.
