13.5 crore Indians move out of multidimensional poverty in five years: Niti Aayog report

India witnessed 13.5cr people move out of multidimensional poverty (MPI) between 2015-21, with fastest reduction in UP, Bihar, MP, Odisha & Rajasthan. Niti Aayog report shows 9.89% pt decline in MPI from 24.85% to 14.96%. Rural areas saw fastest decline from 32.59% to 19.28%, urban from 8.65% to 5.27%. Improvements in nutrition, schooling, sanitation & cooking fuel played key role in reducing poverty. Govt's focus on access to sanitation, nutrition, cooking fuel, financial inclusion, drinking water & electricity led to significant advancements.

India witnessed 13.5 crore people moving out of multidimensional poverty between 2015-16 and 2019-21 with fastest reduction in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan, a Niti Aayog report said on Monday.

The report — 'National Multidimensional Poverty Index: A progress of Review 2023' — was released by Suman Bery, Vice-Chairman, Niti Aayog.

"India has registered a significant decline of 9.89 percentage points in number of India's multidimensionally poor from 24.85% in 2015-16 to 14.96% in 2019-21," it said.

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The National MPI measures simultaneous deprivations across three equally weighted dimensions of health, education, and standard of living that are represented by 12 sustainable development goal (SDG) aligned indicators.

The report said rural areas witnessed the fastest decline in poverty from 32.59% to 19.28%, while the urban areas saw a reduction in poverty from 8.65% to 5.27%.

Providing multidimensional poverty estimates for the 36 States and Union Territories, and 707 administrative districts, the report said the fastest reduction in the proportion of multidimensional poor was observed in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Rajasthan.