The 2026 redrawing of the Multidimensional Poverty Index by NITI Aayog has reopened the question of how India measures deprivation. Discuss.
Subtopic: Governance · Poverty & Hunger
How to structure your answer
Introduction: The NITI Aayog National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) uses the Alkire-Foster method developed at the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative; it has 12 indicators across health, education and standard of living.
Body: Three dimensions — (i) measurement framework — based on NFHS-4 (2015-16) and NFHS-5 (2019-21); MPI fell from 24.85 per cent in 2015-16 to 14.96 per cent in 2019-21, lifting about 13.5 crore out of multidimensional poverty; (ii) policy gaps — calorie-based poverty line (Tendulkar 2009, Rangarajan 2014) no longer drives PDS or DBT eligibility, leaving an outdated 2011-12 NSS line at the core; (iii) the proposed National Consumption Expenditure Survey 2022-23 results and the case for an updated Census-linked poverty line.
Way forward / Conclusion: A multidimensional, periodically updated poverty line aligned with SECC 2.0 and a transparent SDG-1 reporting framework would modernise India's poverty measurement.
Written within the word limit
139 words · target 150 words · 9 min
Introduction: The NITI Aayog National Multidimensional Poverty Index uses the Alkire-Foster method developed at the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, with 12 indicators across health, education and standard of living to measure non-monetary deprivation.
Body: Three dimensions explain the 2026 redrawing. First, measurement framework — based on NFHS-4 (2015-16) and NFHS-5 (2019-21); MPI fell from 24.85% in 2015-16 to 14.96% in 2019-21, lifting about 13.5 crore out of multidimensional poverty per the NITI Aayog Discussion Paper of July 2023. Second, policy gap — the calorie-based Tendulkar Committee (2009) and Rangarajan Committee (2014) lines no longer drive PDS or DBT eligibility, leaving an outdated 2011-12 NSS line at the core. Third, the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2022-23 and the OPHI Global MPI 2024 frame the case for an updated census-linked poverty line.
Conclusion: A multidimensional, periodically updated poverty line aligned with SECC 2.0 and SDG-1 reporting would modernise India's poverty measurement.
What an examiner expects to see
- NITI Aayog National Multidimensional Poverty Index — Alkire-Foster method
- 12 indicators across health, education, standard of living
- NFHS-4 (2015-16) and NFHS-5 (2019-21) base years
- MPI fell from 24.85% in 2015-16 to 14.96% in 2019-21
- About 13.5 crore lifted out of multidimensional poverty
- Tendulkar Committee 2009 and Rangarajan Committee 2014 monetary poverty lines
- Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2022-23
Concrete cases, schemes and judgments
- NITI Aayog Discussion Paper July 2023 on MPI
- Tendulkar Committee Report 2009
- Rangarajan Committee Report 2014
- Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2022-23
- OPHI Global MPI 2024