Papering over the Cracks

The second edition of the multidimensional poverty index (MPI) titled “National Multidimensional Poverty Index: A Progress Review 2023” indicates a significant decline in deprivation levels. The report, authored by the NITI Aayog, shows that the headcount poverty ratio, or the proportion of the multidimensionally poor, has declined from 24.85% in 2015–16 to 14.96% in 2019–21. That is almost a 10 percentage point decline over a five-year period. It estimates that 135 million people have exited from multidimensional poverty during these years.