Solution

According to the latest NITI Aayog discussion paper titled ‘Multidimensional Poverty in India since 2005-06, As many as 248.2 million Indians are projected to have come out of multidimensional poverty between 2013-14 and 2022-23. According to the Discussion Paper, India has registered a significant decline in multidimensional poverty in India from 29.17% in 2013-14 to 11.28% in 2022-23. Uttar Pradesh registered the largest decline in the number of poor with 5.94 crore people escaping multidimensional poverty during the last nine years followed by Bihar at 3.77 crore, Madhya Pradesh at 2.30 crore and Rajasthan at 1.87 crore. The paper also shows that the pace of decline in poverty headcount ratio using exponential method was much faster between 2015-16 to 2019-21 (10.66% annual rate of decline) compared to period 2005-06 to 2015-16 (7.69% annual rate of decline). As per the paper, indicators in the standard of living dimension showed highest levels of deprivation in 2005-06. For instance, 74.4 per cent of the population was deprived of cooking fuel in 2005-06, which fell to 58.47 per cent in 2015-16, and further to 43.9 per cent between 2019-21. Similarly, 70.92 per cent of the population was deprived of adequate sanitation facilities in 2005-06, which reduced to 51.88 per cent in 2015-16, and further to 30.93 per cent between 2019-21.