NEW DELHI: Last week Niti Aayog released the latest edition of its Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). It showed that 13.5 crore Indians had escaped poverty in the last five years. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), using the same methodology as the MPI had revealed that India had lifted a staggering 415 million out of poverty in the 16 years ended 2021.
This decline in poverty is being mirrored in a proportionate rise in the middle class. This profound socio-economic makeover will force public policy to pivot its focus from fighting poverty to nurturing and protecting livelihoods.
To understand this and more we spoke to Himanshu. He is an Assistant Professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University and one of India’s foremost development economists.
