Poverty & hunger
Poverty & hunger · multidimensional poverty · HDI
12 min read · Updated 2026-05-25
What is Poverty?
Poverty is the state of being unable to meet basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, healthcare and education, measured either by income against a line or by multidimensional deprivation. India's last official line, the Tendulkar estimate, put 21.9 percent below it in 2011-12; NITI Aayog's Multidimensional Poverty Index reported 11.28 percent poor in 2022-23, down from 29.17 percent in 2013-14.
The story
It is 17 July 2023. Niti Aayog releases the National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2023 Report. The headline finding: 24.82 crore Indians have escaped multidimensional poverty between 2013-14 and 2022-23. National MPI fell from 29.17% to 11.28%. Bihar's MPI dropped most (from 51.89% to 26.59%) — still highest absolute level. UP, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan, Jharkhand account for 65% of MPI poor.
But the same year, Oxfam India's "Survival of the Richest" report finds: India's top 1% holds 40.5% of national wealth; the bottom 50% owns just 3%. World Bank estimates 129 million Indians still live below $2.15/day (extreme poverty line). The State of Working India 2023 report (Azim Premji University) finds 63% of male workers + 87% of female workers earn below ₹10,000/month.
Poverty in India is contested terrain — what to measure (income vs multidimensional?), how to measure (consumption vs assets?), what threshold (Tendulkar vs Rangarajan vs Global $2.15?). This file maps it all: from the dusty Indian villages where 80% of poor live, to the central economic + social transformations underway.
Why this matters for UPSC
For UPSC:
- Prelims: Tendulkar Committee 2009, Rangarajan Committee 2014, Suresh Tendulkar poverty line, MPI methodology, BPL surveys, PMAY, MGNREGA, NSAP, PDS.
- Mains GS-I + GS-II + GS-III: Poverty measurement, vulnerable sections, welfare schemes, inclusive growth, Inequality.
- Interview: Personal opinion on UBI + cash transfers + MGNREGA.