Poverty Reduction in India (2011–12 to 2022–23)

Current Context: Between 2011–12 and 2022–23, India cut its extreme poverty rate from 27.1 percent to 5.3 percent—lifting about 269 million people above the World Bank’s updated daily poverty line of US $ 3.00 (2021 PPP).

ABOUT:

• Global Poverty Lines:
  • Extreme Poverty Line: United States Dollar 3 per person/day (2021 Purchasing Power Parity), revised from United States Dollar 2.15.
  • Lower-Middle-Income Economies Line: United States Dollar 4.20 per day.
  • Upper-Middle-Income Economies Line: United States Dollar 8.30 per day.
• Rural–Urban Divide:
  • Rural Poverty: Fell from 18.4 percent to 2.8 percent.
  • Urban Poverty: Fell from 10.7 percent to 1.1 percent.
• Multidimensional Poverty Index:
  • Dropped from 53.8 percent (2005–06) to 16.4 percent (2019–21), and to 15.5 percent (2022–23).
  • Indicators Covered: Consumption or income, educational attainment, school enrolment, drinking water, sanitation, and electricity.
• Government Initiatives to reduce poverty :
  • Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: Universal access to permanent housing with basic amenities.
  • Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana: Provision of clean cooking fuel (liquefied petroleum gas) to deprived households.
  • Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana: Financial inclusion through universal access to bank accounts.
  • Ayushman Bharat (National Health Protection Scheme): Health insurance coverage for catastrophic medical expenses.