Sanjeev Sanyal – Economist:

As per recently released Global Multidimensional Poverty Index report 2022:

Reduction in poverty was 8.1% a year from 2005-06 to 2015-16 and 11.9% a year from 2015-16 to 2019-21.

Poverty Index value fell from 0.283 in 2005-06 to 0.122 in 2015-16 to 0.069 in 2019-21.

The decline in multi-dimentional poverty in absolute terms was fastest in the poorest states like Bihar, UP, MP, Jharkhand etc.

For instance, in Bihar it declined from 77.4% in 2005/6 to 52.4% in 2015/6 and then to 34.7% in 2019/20.

This is a steep decline by any standards

This is creditable performance (and there is no need to politicise something that we have sustained over different governments).

Moreover, my sense is that this process is accelerating irrespective of the usual povertarian naysayers