The number of persons living in multidimensional poverty in the country has fallen from 24.85 percent to 14.96 percent between 2015-16 and 2019-21. This was unveiled in the National Multidimensional Poverty Index released by the NITI Aayog today. This National Multidimensional Poverty Index represents India’s progress in reducing multidimensional poverty between the National Family Health Survey 2015-16 and National Family Health Survey 2019-21.
Briefing media in New Delhi, NITI Aayog CEO B.V.R. Subrahmanyam said, 13.5 crore people have escaped from multidimensional poverty in this period. He said, India is on course to achieve Sustainable Development Goals target 1.2 much ahead of schedule by 2030. He also said the report shows that poverty in rural areas has declined sharply from 32.59 percent to 19.28 percent during the period.
Uttar Pradesh has registered the highest decline in the number of poor with 3.43 crore people followed by Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Providing multidimensional poverty estimates for the 36 States and Union Territories and 707 Administrative Districts, the report states that the fastest reduction in the proportion of multidimensional poor was observed in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Rajasthan.
The report says that improvement in nutrition, years of schooling, sanitation, and cooking fuel have played a significant role in bringing down poverty. The National Multidimensional Poverty Index is a holistic measure defining poverty based on health, education, and living standards and estimates poverty at national, state, and district levels, shaping reform plans for States and UTs.
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