Srinagar, Feb 6 || The national multi-dimensional poverty index (MPI) data from Niti Aayog indicates a reduction in poverty levels in Jammu and Kashmir, while also suggesting that access to education and safe drinking water is no longer considered a luxury in the union territory.
Niti Aayog’s MPI measures simultaneous deprivations across health, education and standard of living using 12 indicators.
Based on NFHS data, it acts as a policy tool for monitoring poverty. Recent data shows a significant decline with 24.82 crore people escaping poverty between 2013-14 and 2022-23, and the headcount ratio dropping from 29.17 per cent to 11.28 per cent.
Over the last seven years, J&K has recorded a considerable decline in poverty from 12.56 per cent to 4.8 per cent as per the most recent National MPI statistics.
Last year, some experts questioned the credibility of NITI Aayog’s MPI figures simply because of the dependence of people in the union territory on PDS.
This concern arose from the fact that nearly 50 per cent of Kashmir’s population relied on the government’s Public Distribution Systems (PDS) for food and financial assistance. PDS played the primary role of providing sustenance for these members who lacked stable means of livelihood.