Sonalde Desai of NCAER wrote a study titled “Rethinking Social Safety Nets in a Changing Society” that included information from Waves 1 and 2 of the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) in addition to data from the recently concluded Wave 3.
According to a research article by the economic think tank NCAER, poverty in India is predicted to have decreased despite the hurdles given by the epidemic, from 21.2% in 2011–12 to 8.5% in 2022–24.
Sonalde Desai of NCAER wrote a study titled “Rethinking Social Safety Nets in a Changing Society” that included information from Waves 1 and 2 of the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) in addition to data from the recently concluded Wave 3.
“According to the IHDS findings…poverty declined significantly between 2004-2005 and 2011-12 (from a headcount ratio of 38.6 to 21.2), and it continued to decline between 2011-12 and 2022-24 (from 21.2 to 8.5) despite the challenges posed by the pandemic,” the publication stated.
According to the study, decreasing poverty and economic progress create a dynamic environment that calls for adaptable social protection policies.
It went on to say that when birth accidents become less significant than life accidents, traditional solutions intended to alleviate persistent poverty in a significant portion of society may become less effective.
The study pointed out that one of India’s biggest challenges in its pursuit of equitable development will be to make sure social protection institutions keep up with the rate of social transformation.
The study argues that in a period of economic expansion, as opportunities rise, the long-term causes of poverty may become less significant, while changes in opportunities unique to a certain occupation and incidents related to disease, death, and natural catastrophes may become more significant.
“Accidents of birth are more likely to affect long-term chronic poverty, accidents of life may have a transitory effect on moving in and out of poverty,” it stated.
The CEO of NITI Aayog, B V R Subrahmanyam, had stated earlier this year that the nation’s poverty rate has dropped to 5% and that both rural and urban residents are getting more rich. This was based on the results of the most recent consumer expenditure survey.
The average consumption of the lowest fraction, the 0–5% percent, is almost the same if we take the poverty line and inflate it using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to the current rate. This indicates that just the 0–5% of the population in the nation live in poverty,” the CEO of NITI Aayog has stated.
On February 24, the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation’s National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) released statistics on household consumption expenditure for the year 2022–2023. The data revealed that, compared to 2011–12, per capita monthly household expenditure more than quadrupled in 2022–2023.
Although it differed amongst states in 2004–2005, the Tendulkar Committee Report’s suggested poverty level was established at ₹ 447 for rural regions and ₹ 579 for urban areas. The Planning Commission subsequently modified these poverty limits to ₹ 1,000 and ₹ 860 for 2011–12.
