New Delhi: As many as 415 million people exited poverty between 2005-06 to 2019-21 while India’s National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) identifies 25.01 percent of the population as multidimensionally poor, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The percentage of the population as multidimensionally poor in rural and urban areas is 32.75% and 8.81% respectively, it added.
This information was shared as a written reply by Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Rao Inderjit Singh while replying to a question from BJP MP Dhananjay Bhimrao Mahadik. In his question, Mahadik had inquired about the number of people living below the poverty line in the country, which he claimed to have decreased by 415 million between 2005-06 and 2019-21, according to a new Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
In his reply, the MoS pointed out that "As per the 'Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2022: Unpacking deprivation bundles to reduce multidimensional poverty' report released by Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) and United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), in India, 415 million people exited poverty between 2005-06 to 2019-21."
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Sharing the statistics regarding the percentage of rural and urban poor including the multidimensionally poor, the MoS said, "As per the Baseline report of Multidimensional Poverty Index '21 released by the NITI Aayog, India’s National MPI identifies 25.01 percent of the population as multidimensionally poor. The percentage of the population as multidimensionally poor in rural and urban areas is 32.75% and 8.81% respectively."
In Maharashtra, 14.85% of the population is multidimensionally poor. Furthermore, the percentage of the population as multidimensionally poor in rural and urban areas is 22.83% and 5.55% respectively, he further added.
To a question on whether the Government proposes to formulate any scheme for the upliftment of people living below the poverty line, MoS pointed out the list of various schemes including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS), Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAYG), Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), focusing on inclusive growth as reflected in its commitment to Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.
