[Answered] India’s multidimensional poverty fight leverages inclusive programs to target vulnerability hotspots. Examine how such initiatives enhance governance effectiveness and promote equitable development, fostering social justice across states.

Introduction

India’s fight against poverty is undergoing a paradigm shift—from income-based metrics to a multidimensional approach. Targeted, inclusive programmes like Samaveshi Aajeevika are enabling states to bridge deprivation gaps and ensure social justice.

Multidimensional Poverty: Redefining the Paradigm

1. Poverty in India is no longer viewed through the narrow lens of income deprivation alone. The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) developed by NITI Aayog and aligned with global metrics, considers deprivations across health, education, and standard of living — comprising 12 indicators such as nutrition, housing, clean cooking fuel, education, and sanitation. A person is poor if deprived in at least one-third of these indicators.
2. While India lifted 270 million people out of extreme poverty between 2011 and 2023 (World Bank, 2024), around 200 million remain multidimensionally poor, often experiencing clusters of overlapping deprivations, such as lack of nutrition, sanitation, and healthcare.
3. Addressing such “vulnerability hotspots” calls for coordinated, inclusive, and multi-sectoral interventions.

Graduation Approach: A Global Blueprint

1. The Graduation Approach, pioneered by Bangladesh’s BRAC and backed by evidence from J-PAL (Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo), offers an integrated package: Asset transfers (e.g., livestock or trade items), temporary income support, financial literacy and  skills training and mentorship
2. Implemented in 43 countries, it has shown success in enhancing food security, financial resilience, housing conditions, and children’s education. For example: In Afghanistan, diarrhoea among under-five children declined by 8 percentage points, In Yemen, families invested in housing upgrades, In India, 99% of beneficiaries reported improved food security and increased asset ownership.

India’s Response: Samaveshi Aajeevika Initiative

1. Launched in 2024 by the Ministry of Rural Development, the Samaveshi Aajeevika Initiative pilots the Graduation Approach across 11 states in collaboration with BRAC, The Nudge Institute, and J-PAL South Asia. Its focus is on rural women entrepreneurship, social protection, and financial independence.
2. The initiative leverages MPI data to identify vulnerability hotspots and targets them through bundled services, enhancing last-mile governance and integrated service delivery.

Enhancing Governance Effectiveness and Equity

1. Evidence-Based Targeting: MPI-based targeting allows precision governance, directing interventions where overlapping deprivations are severe. For instance, 34 million Indians lack access to nutrition, sanitation, clean fuel, and housing—deprivations often concentrated in tribal and aspirational districts.
2. Convergence of Schemes: Samaveshi Aajeevika aligns ministries’ efforts (e.g., Poshan Abhiyan, PMAY, Jal Jeevan Mission) into a single implementation window, reducing fragmentation and bureaucratic overlap.
3. Decentralised and Gender-Inclusive Model: By empowering rural women, the initiative fosters gender-equitable growth. It aligns with the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-NRLM, strengthening self-help groups and enabling bottom-up entrepreneurship.
4. Cooperative Federalism: States are empowered to adapt the programme to local needs. Kerala and Tamil Nadu, which already have strong welfare infrastructures, can integrate such models with state poverty action plans for greater impact.

Challenges and the Way Forward

1. Sustained Funding: Integrated interventions require long-term fiscal commitment from both Centre and states.
2. Capacity Building: Training local implementation agencies and SHGs is crucial for scaling.
3. Robust Monitoring: Expanding real-time dashboards and geospatial poverty mapping can ensure data-driven governance.
4. Institutional Convergence: Strengthening inter-ministerial coordination remains a key enabler for holistic impact.

Conclusion

Targeted, inclusive models like Samaveshi Aajeevika deepen the fight against poverty by transforming governance, empowering citizens, and operationalising social justice—ensuring no one is left behind in India’s development journey.