Poverty In India

Kerala is set to be declared the first state to eliminate extreme poverty, an achievement driven by coordinated efforts, as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan explains in an interview to the media

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said that on November 1, when Kerala celebrates its formation or 'Piravi' day, it will be declared as the first state in the country without extreme poverty. Vijayan, in a post on social media platform X, said it would be the fulfilment of the first decision taken by the state government in 2021 when the LDF regime came to power for a consecutive second term. "Instead of a one-size-fits-all policy, the government identified 64,006 vulnerable families and created specific micro-plans for each one's unique needs," he said in the post. The CM further said that with an investment of over Rs 1,000 crore, the government has ensured daily food to 20,648 families with 2,210 of those receiving hot meals, necessary treatment and medicine to 85,721 individuals and housing for thousands. He said that more than 5,400 new homes were built or are under construction, 5,522 homes were repaired and 2,713 landless families received land to build their ...

But its definition of extreme poverty was based on a lower floor of earning than the World Bank's

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said his government's policies were aimed at reducing poverty and creating jobs, as he cautioned against economic liberalisation that could lead to concentration of wealth in the hands of a few. "Our objective is to create an economic option that will eliminate poverty, create jobs for youth and lead to creation of wealth," he said in his address at the National Conference of CA Students-2025 and added we need such an economic option. He said previous governments under P V Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh adopted an economic liberalisation framework. "But with economic liberalisation, we should also make sure that there is no centralisation of the economy. It should not be that the number of poor is slowly increasing while wealth is getting centralised in the hands of a few," the minister cautioned. "There has been a sea change in the economic landscape (in the last decade) and your role is crucial in this change," the minister said. At the

The Congress on Monday termed as "fraudulent" and "intellectually dishonest" the government's assertion that India is among the world's most equal countries, and said the Modi government cannot simply wish away the stark reality of deepening inequalities by "doctoring data". The opposition party's attack came after an official release, citing World Bank data, said inequality in India has come down significantly between 2011-12 and 2022-23, making it the fourth-most equal country globally. The Congress demanded that the Press Information Bureau (PIB) must clarify as to the origins of this press release and retract it immediately. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Aap chronology samajhiye. The World Bank released its Poverty and Equity Brief for India in April 2025. Immediately after, the Congress released a statement identifying the several warning signs that the World Bank had flashed for poverty and inequality in India - including warnings abo

India's fight against poverty sees 171 million people lifted from extreme deprivation; MPI drops from 53.8% to 16.4%, reflecting a decade of transformative change across rural and urban areas

From 344 million to 75 million, World Bank says India's extreme poor shrank sharply over 11 years

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday described his government as compassionate and devoted to the welfare of the poor as it prepares to launch a mass outreach to highlight its achievements in 11 years in office. Modi said on X that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has over the past decade taken path-breaking steps to uplift several people from the clutches of poverty, focussing on empowerment, infrastructure and inclusion. The NDA remains committed to building an inclusive and self-reliant India, where every citizen has the opportunity to live with dignity, he said, adding that all its key schemes have transformed the lives of the poor. He said, "Initiatives like PM Awas Yojana, PM Ujjwala Yojana, Jan Dhan Yojana and Ayushman Bharat have enhanced access to housing, clean cooking fuel, banking and healthcare. The push for DBT, digital inclusion and rural infrastructure has ensured transparency and faster delivery of benefits till the last mile." It is du

Asserting that the Centre is working to ensure 'poverty-free' villages, Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday appealed to the people to take full benefits of all social welfare schemes. Addressing an event in which 55,000 houses built across Assam under the PM Awas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G) were handed over to the beneficiaries, Chouhan underlined the need for empowering women. He said the BJP-led government at the Centre was working to serve people rather than "grabbing power". He said the government is focusing on ensuring 'poverty-free' villages, and the various welfare schemes will enable it. Lauding Assam's progress in PMAY-G, Chouhan said that 3.76 lakh more houses will be built in the state under the scheme in the current financial year. He also launched the 'Lakhimi Mistri' scheme, aimed at equipping women with masonry skills to enhance employment opportunities. Chouhan also virtually inaugurated 21 knowledge centres built across the state under

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that while the Modi government is presenting the World Bank report as a success story, it raises serious concerns about persistent inequality

Using the $3.65 per day poverty line for lower- and middle-income countries (LMIC), poverty fell from 61.8 per cent to 28.1 per cent, lifting 378 million people out of poverty in India

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said Uttar Pradesh will emerge as a prosperous state in the next three years by eradicating poverty and his government will make the state's economy number one in the country. Addressing an event here, he attacked previous governments, saying they encouraged "one district, one mafia" while the BJP dispensation replaced it with "one district, one medical college". Adityanath thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in Parliament, claiming it would put a check on the "loot" being carried out in the name of the Waqf board. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister was in Maharajganj for the inauguration of the Rohin Barrage. He also laid the foundation stones of and inaugurated 629 developmental projects worth Rs 654 crore, according to the state government. "In the next three years, Uttar Pradesh will be established as a prosperous state by eradicating poverty. We will

Share of those falling under the 'vulnerable' category has dropped to 15 per cent from over 50 per cent 12 years ago

Vulnerability will be eliminated in seven years

Piketty advocated a wealth tax on Indian billionaires to finance social infrastructure

A family in Salauli village, around 17 km from Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow, was selected as the first beneficiary of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's ambitious scheme to eradicate extreme poverty from the state. Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh visited several villages before talking a decision on the family that will be eligible for the UP government's 'Zero Poverty Scheme'. He travelled only with his wife and without his usual entourage to identify the beneficiaries, a statement issued on Saturday said. "His search ended in Gosaiganj, Lucknow, where he met a family who truly needed support. Engaging in a heartfelt conversation, he extended Diwali greetings, presenting them with sweets and gifts," the statement read. 'Zero Poverty Scheme' aims to the eliminate extreme poverty in Uttar Pradesh by identifying 25 lakh underprivileged families across Uttar Pradesh, enabling them to access government benefits and boost their annual income to Rs 1,25,000 per family, it said. A statew

Dhaliwal spoke about evidence-based policymaking in India, and universal basic income, among other things

India is among the five countries globally with the largest number of people living in poverty, according to the UN report that said 1.1 billion people, over half of them minors, live in acute poverty worldwide. The latest update of the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) was released on Thursday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) based at the University of Oxford. It said that 1.1 billion people live in acute poverty worldwide, with 40 per cent living in countries experiencing war, fragility and/or low peacefulness, according to at least one of the three widely used datasets of conflict settings. India has 234 million people living in poverty, which is medium Human Development Index, placing the country among five globally with the largest number of people living in poverty. The other four countries are Pakistan (93 million), Ethiopia (86 million), Nigeria (74 million) and the Democratic Republi

Earlier, the World Bank had said that extreme poverty in India declined by 38 million in 2021 to 167.49 million, following a surge in the two preceding years

Despite improvement, one in four of the world's undernourished live in the country