Poverty & hunger interventions

Story hook

It is 15 July 2022, Niti Aayog Vigyan Bhawan briefing. VK Paul unveils India's first Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) National Report. Findings: MPI fell from 24.85% (2015-16) to 14.96% (2019-21) — ~13.5 crore Indians out of multidimensional poverty in 5 years, faster than any prior period. Bihar has the highest MPI (51.91%); Kerala the lowest (0.55%).

Six months later, 15 January 2024, the discussion paper "Multidimensional Poverty in India since 2005-06" by NITI Aayog

• UNDP + OPHI reports a further drop — MPI 11.28% in 2022-23; 24.82 crore Indians escaped poverty 2013-14 to 2022-23.

But the hunger story is more contested. India ranks 111 out of 125 in Global Hunger Index 2023 (Concern Worldwide + Welt Hunger Hilfe), which the Government formally disputes as "erroneous" — wasted/stunted children proxies, sample size, methodology. NFHS-5 (2019-21): 35.5% under-5 stunting, 19.3% wasting, 32.1% under-weight.

India's policy stack against poverty + hunger spans 70 years: PDS (1942 wartime) → TPDS (1997) → NFSA (2013) + ICDS (1975) + Mid-Day Meal (1995, now PM POSHAN 2021) + MNREGA (2006) + PMAY (2015/16) + PMUY (2016) + DBT (2013) + Aspirational Districts (2018).

For UPSC, this unit is fact-heavy + concept-rich: poverty lines, measurement debates, scheme architecture, hunger indices.

Why this matters for UPSC

• Prelims: 2-3 questions per year on NFSA coverage, NFHS indicators, MPI methodology, Tendulkar / Rangarajan poverty lines.
• Mains GS-II: Convergence + welfare answers anchor here (2014, 2017, 2019, 2021).
• Mains GS-III: Food security, MSP, buffer stocks.
• Interview: GHI methodology row; MPI vs consumption-based measurement.