With over 50% of the population in the State identified as “multidimensionally poor”, Bihar has the maximum percentage of population living in poverty among all the States and the Union Territories, according to Government think-tank NITI Aayog’s Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).
As per the index, 51.91% of the population in Bihar is poor, followed by Jharkhand (42.16%), Uttar Pradesh (37.79%), Madhya Pradesh (36.65%) and Meghalaya (32.67%). On the other hand, Kerala registered lowest population poverty levels (0.71%), followed by Puducherry (1.72%), Lakshadweep (1.82%), Goa (3.76%) and Sikkim (3.82%).
Other States and UTs where less than 10% of the population are poor include Tamil Nadu (4.89%), Andaman & Nicobar Islands (4.30%), Delhi (4.79%), Punjab (5.59%), Himachal Pradesh (7.62%) and Mizoram (9.8%).
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“The development of the National Multidimensional Poverty Index of India is an important contribution towards instituting a public policy tool which monitors multidimensional poverty, informs evidence-based and focused interventions, thereby ensuring that no one is left behind,” NITI Aayog Chairman Rajeev Kumar said in the Foreword.
He said India’s national MPI measure uses the globally accepted and robust methodology developed by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
“Importantly, as a measure of multidimensional poverty, it captures multiple and simultaneous deprivation faced by households. This baseline report of India’s first-ever national MPI measure is based on the reference period of 2015-16 of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS),” he said, adding that the national MPI measure has been constructed by utilising 12 key components which cover areas such as health and nutrition, education and standard of living.
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