{"id":114191,"date":"2021-06-23T10:33:58","date_gmt":"2021-06-23T05:03:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=114191"},"modified":"2021-06-23T10:33:58","modified_gmt":"2021-06-23T05:03:58","slug":"the-state-of-indias-poor-must-be-acknowledged","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/the-state-of-indias-poor-must-be-acknowledged\/","title":{"rendered":"The state of India&#8217;s poor must be acknowledged"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Context<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">:\u00a0Trend of rising poverty\u00a0in India\u00a0&#8211; middle class sliding into poverty amid Covid \u2013 19\u00a0pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Trends\u00a0signifying\u00a0India\u2019s\u00a0slide into\u00a0poverty<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">On\u00a0ranking\u00a0of median\u00a0income,\u00a0India\u00a0stood\u00a0at\u00a099\u00a0among\u00a0131 countries.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"5\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">With a median income of $616 per annum, it was the lowest among\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/rearranging-the-brics\/\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">BRICS<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and fell in the\u00a0lower-middle-income\u00a0country bracket.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"6\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A\u00a0decline\u00a0for the first time since 1972 \u2013 1973\u00a0in the monthly per capita consumption expenditure of\u00a0FY\u00a0\u00a02017-18.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"7\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">India\u00a0downgraded\u00a0on the\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Global\u00a0Hunger Index<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0to \u2018serious\u00a0hunger\u2019\u00a0category.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"8\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">India\u2019s\u00a0own health census data or the recently concluded\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/national-family-health-nfhs\/\">National Family Health Survey<\/a> or NFHS-5,<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0which had worrying markers of increased malnutrition, infant\u00a0mortality,\u00a0and maternal\u00a0health.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"9\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Bangladesh recently achieved a high per capita income\u00a0($280 higher)\u00a0than India. This\u00a0must also be a reason for Indians to introspect.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"10\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">India has also slid\u00a0on the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/sdg-india-index-and-indias-sustainable-development\/\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">sustainable development goals index<\/span><\/b><\/a><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">(by at least two ranks last month)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"11\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In 2019, the\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">global Multidimensional Poverty Index<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0reported that India lifted 271 million citizens out of poverty between 2006 and 2016. Since then, the\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/indias-economy-to-contract-by-10-3-says-international-monetary-fund\/\">International Monetary Fund<\/a>, Hunger Watch,\u00a0SWAN\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and several other surveys show a\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">definite slide<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"12\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In March, the Pew Research Center with the World Bank data estimated that \u2018the number of poor in India,\u00a0on the basis of\u00a0an income of $2 per day or less in purchasing power parity, has\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">more than doubled to 134\u00a0million from 60 million in just a year\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">due to the pandemic-induced recession\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"13\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In 2020, India contributed 57.3% of the growth of the global poor. India contributed to 59.3% of the global middle class that slid into poverty.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">All of\u00a0the above indicators show rising poverty in India. However,\u00a0poverty line debate in India is still an unsettled one.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Why this slide into poverty should be a cause of worry for India?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This is certainly a cause of concern.\u00a0India since independence for 25 years (1951 \u2013 1974) saw a\u00a0continuous\u00a0increase in poverty.\u00a0The population of the poor increased from 47% to 56%\u2019.\u00a0There has been\u00a0an\u00a0uninterrupted battle against poverty since the 1970s.\u00a0Recent\u00a0trends\u00a0show\u00a0India is again a \u201ccountry of mass poverty\u201d after 45\u00a0years.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Why counting the poor is necessary?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<ol>\n<li data-leveltext=\"%1.\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"9\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Firstly,\u00a0to get public opinion<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">:\u00a0The first is because knowing the numbers and making them public\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">makes it possible to get public opinion<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0to support massive and urgent cash transfers. Spain has\u00a0accorded\u00a0security to its gig workers by giving delivery boys the status of workers. In India too, a dramatic reorientation would get support only once numbers are honestly laid out.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"%1.\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"9\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Secondly,\u00a0for honest evaluation of policies<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">:\u00a0The second argument for recording the data is so that all policies can be honestly evaluated\u00a0based on\u00a0whether they meet the needs of the majority.\u00a0It\u00a0Is a policy such as bank write-offs of loans amounting to \u20b91.53-lakh crore last year, which helped corporates overwhelmingly, beneficial to the vast majority? Or has it been just beneficial to a thin\u00a0sliver\u00a0of the\u00a0super-rich? This would be possible to transparently evaluate only when the numbers of the poor are known and established<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"%1.\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"9\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Third,\u00a0for\u00a0informed public\u00a0debates\u00a0and accountability<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">:\u00a0if government data were to honestly account for the exact numbers of the poor, it may be more realistic to expect the public debate to be conducted on the concerns of the real majority. It would also create an atmosphere that\u00a0demands accountability from public representatives.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"%1.\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"9\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Fourth, relation between rising corporate wealth and the number of poor<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">:\u00a0Fourth,\u00a0wealth\u00a0of richest Indian corporates\u00a0has grown\u00a0manifold\u00a0in the past few years, even as millions of Indians have experienced a massive\u00a0fall\u00a0into poverty.\u00a0It is well known that stock market and Indian economy are interrelated.\u00a0If billionaire lists are evaluated in detail and reported upon, the country cannot shy away from counting its poor.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Conclusion<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Urgent solutions are needed within, and the starting point of that would be only when we know how many are poor.\u00a0If we do not bother to know of the increased numbers sliding into poverty, there would be little possibility of moving toward a solution.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Terms to\u00a0know:<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"8\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"14\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/brics-astronomy-working-group-proposes-networking-of-existing-telescopes\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">BRICS<\/span><\/a><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"8\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"15\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/global-hunger-index-india-ghi-2020\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Global Hunger Index<\/span><\/a><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"8\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"16\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/national-family-health-nfhs\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">National Family Health Survey<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0(NFHS)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"8\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"17\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/india-improves-sustainable-development-goals-index-score-by-three-positions\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Sustainable Development Goals Index<\/span><\/a><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"8\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"18\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/273-million-indians-out-of-poverty-in-10-years\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Global Multidimensional Poverty Index<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Source<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">:\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/opinion\/lead\/the-state-of-indias-poor-must-be-acknowledged\/article34895792.ece\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">The Hindu<\/span><\/a><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Context:\u00a0Trend of rising poverty\u00a0in India\u00a0&#8211; middle class sliding into poverty amid Covid \u2013 19\u00a0pandemic.\u00a0\u00a0 Trends\u00a0signifying\u00a0India\u2019s\u00a0slide into\u00a0poverty\u00a0 On\u00a0ranking\u00a0of median\u00a0income,\u00a0India\u00a0stood\u00a0at\u00a099\u00a0among\u00a0131 countries.\u00a0 With a median income of $616 per annum, it was the lowest among\u00a0BRICS\u00a0and fell in the\u00a0lower-middle-income\u00a0country bracket.\u00a0 A\u00a0decline\u00a0for the first time since 1972 \u2013 1973\u00a0in the monthly per capita consumption expenditure of\u00a0FY\u00a0\u00a02017-18.\u00a0 India\u00a0downgraded\u00a0on the\u00a0Global\u00a0Hunger Index\u00a0to \u2018serious\u00a0hunger\u2019\u00a0category.\u00a0&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/the-state-of-indias-poor-must-be-acknowledged\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The state of India&#8217;s poor must be acknowledged<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230,8043,9],"tags":[8106,902,8107,8105],"class_list":["post-114191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","category-current-affairs-cat","category-public","tag-mass-poverty","tag-poverty","tag-poverty-estimation","tag-poverty-line-calculation","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":{"total":0,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1704700811},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114191"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114191\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}