Editorial 1 : When Democracy Cuts Across
Context: Decline in poverty in India
Introduction: Quantitatively assessment of the performance of the government in the context of poverty reduction among social and religious groups from 2011-12 to 2023-24 will help to critically evaluate, whether the current government has upheld the core ideals of democracy by addressing people’s fundamental needs and enabling their upliftment from the burdens of poverty.
Poverty Measurement
- Rangarajan Poverty Line (2014)
- Uses Modified Mixed Recall Period (MMRP) for expenditure data.
- Aligns with ICMR calorie norms (food component).
- Adjusts for non-food expenses (education, healthcare, etc.) in urban areas.
- Adjustments for 2023-24: Updated using state/UT-specific Consumer Price Index (CPI) data.
- Data Sources: Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES)
- 2011-12: 1 lakh households surveyed.
- 2023-24: 2.5 lakh households surveyed.
Overall Poverty Reduction Trends
- National-Level Decline
- Rural Areas: From 30.4% (2011-12) to 3.9% (2023-24).
- Urban Areas: From 26.4% (2011-12) to 3.9% (2023-24).
- Poverty Reduction by Religious Groups
- Rural Areas
- Muslims: From 31.7% to 2.4% (29.3 pp decline).
- Hindus: From 30.9% to 4.0% (26.9 pp decline).
- Gap Shift: Muslim-Hindu difference reduced from +0.8 pp to -1.6 pp.
- Urban Areas
- Muslims: From 39.4% to 5.7% (33.7 pp decline).
- Hindus: From 24.4% to 3.7% (20.7 pp decline).
- Gap Shift: Muslim-Hindu gap narrowed from 15 pp to 2 pp.
- Poverty Reduction by Social Groups
- Rural Areas
- Scheduled Tribes (ST): From 49.5% to 12.2% (37.3 pp decline).
- Gap with General category: From 29.5 pp to 10.6 pp.
- Scheduled Castes (SC): Gap with General category reduced from 17.4 pp to 2.6 pp.
- Urban Areas
- SC Population: From 39.6% to 6.6% (33 pp decline).
- Gap with General category: From 20 pp to 4.1 pp.
- ST Population: From 38.2% to 9.9% (28.3 pp decline).
- Gap with General category: From 21.5 pp to 7.4 pp.
- OBC Population: From 30.4% to 3.6% (26.8 pp decline).
Key Findings and Implications
- Inclusive Growth
- Poverty reduction spanned all groups, with Muslims and SCs/STs experiencing the steepest declines.
- Welfare programs (e.g. subsidies, healthcare, education) likely contributed to equitable outcomes.
- Reduction in Disparities
- Muslim-Hindu poverty gap nearly closed (from 15 pp to 2 pp).
- SC/ST-General category gaps significantly narrowed.
- Political Implications
- Challenges narratives of divisive politics and highlights focus on upliftment of marginalized groups.
- Reflects government’s alignment with democratic principles in practice.
Conclusion: Poverty rates have dropped to single digits across all groups, indicating broad-based inclusivity. Welfare schemes and economic growth prioritized marginalized communities, enabling dignity and social mobility. Quantitative evidence supports the claim that the government addressed fundamental needs of vulnerable populations.